The Reincarnation of a Legend
by silverwolf1213
Summary: She was running away.  Finally.  Finally, Suki Kurohoshi was running away from her village.  The six-year-old was finally able to escape from her terrible life.  She was going to run and escape... But how could she know that no one escapes destiny?
1. The Beginning

**I do not own Naruto. **

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Shinobi have existed as long as anyone can remember. Ninja have been born into the world, they have trained to defend their homes, and they have died on the battlefield. And that cycle has continued throughout history.

But not many have stopped to wonder how this cycle started. Most just believe that shinobi were created to fight during the era of endless war. Others believe that the strongest warriors of their time were chosen to fight to defend their families. And almost all people believe that shinobi weren't created; they believe that they just...are. Ninja have lived for many years, and it is accepted. No one has ever questioned it.

In different points of view, all of these beliefs are correct. But they are incomplete. The real story of shinobi started with a man known as the Sage of the Six Paths. Legend says that he is the founder of the ninja world. He is the creator of ninjutsu. He passed his wisdom onto others, and the era of wars ceased, for the time being.

Yes, the legend is correct. The Sage of the Six Paths existed. Now, for those who don't believe in this story, you don't have to. If you want to believe that ninjutsu was created and discovered at the same time the world was formed, go ahead. But then that means that you will not believe the genuine story.

Because there is more.

The legendary Sage of the Six Paths created ninjutsu. And with the hand signs representing twelve different animals, different techniques were learned. By performing different combinations of the twelve animal seals, new jutsu were created. This has been accepted as a way of life for all people who call themselves ninja.

But no one has ever questioned why these twelve animals are so special that they are represented through hand seals. In fact, why are these same twelve animals the same twelve as the animals listed in the zodiac? What makes these different species so distinguished and important?

That story takes place before the Sage of the Six Paths was ever born.

The myth says that ten thousand years ago, an old monk invited all of the animals of creation to come and join him for the New Year. Only twelve species came to his invitation. As a reward, the old man named a year after each animal. And from then on, any person born in a year that associated with that animal would share that animal's qualities. The order of the years is the same as when the animals arrived to the monk's invitation.

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Hare

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Ram

Monkey

Bird

Dog

Boar

Flattered at having received such important status, the animals thanked the monk. And the only way they knew how was to leave the monk with a part of themselves. One by one, in the order that they had arrived, the animals touched their paw, their claw, their hoof, or their tail to man's right wrist, directly under his palm. As a result, a black circular tattoo formed in that spot. The circle was divided into twelve different sections, each one to represent the animals.

And the old man was named the Guardian. His invitation brought both animals and humans closer together. People were able to see that animals are creatures of honor and equality, just as there exists equality between humans.

The Guardian lived the rest of his life in peace, just as peace blanketed the Earth. People looked up to the monk, as he was the one who brought balance and equality to the world. His meeting with the animals left him a special power that granted him the abilities of those same animals. This power was greatly looked up to as a beacon of protection.

Before the man took his dying breath, he wished that he could live his life again as time moved forward. He wished that he could watch the Earth progress into an even more peaceful and loving world. And should war break out, he wished that he could be there to end the fighting and heal the wounds that death and violence always brought.

And his wish came true.

The Guardian was reincarnated into another's body. And as a guide, one animal of the twelve would stay at the side of the Guardian. The pair would watch over the Earth as it continued with its own life. The monk's spirit was alive, and he was able to live on to watch the world evolve. And whenever his time would come again, the Guardian was recreated into another's body. For a long time, this cycle continued on peacefully. The Guardian was a protector of all animals and humans. And when shinobi were formed, he or she was considered a sage, the highest level of shinobi.

But everything is never as it seems.

Nearly ten thousand years after the first Guardian, a man named Gekido was born as the next Guardian. His animal guide was a dragon. Knowing that his destiny was to keep the world at peace, he decided that with such amazing power that he held, he wanted so much more. The same tattoo that the monk had received from the animals was thought of as a symbol of power for Gekido. After harnessing his power, he plummetted the world into a period of war. He wanted world domination, and he did everything in his power to get it.

The citizens of the nations that divided the world were struck to the core. The Guardian was supposed to be a savior, a protector. But Gekido was neither of those things. He reaked havoc on the world, and as a result, nations were turned against each other.

Blood was spilled upon the ground. Lives were torn apart. And people no longer trusted anyone but themselves.

And to make things worse, Gekido used his dragon to do the unthinkable. He ordered his dragon guide to use its spiritual powers to summon the Kyuubi Fox Demon.

The dragon knew that this was wrong, but by this point, Gekido was so crazy from his thirst for power that the dragon knew that it was already too late.

And the Nine-Tailed Fox was summoned. And it destroyed more than half of the Fire Country.

Only thanks to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was the Fox Demon able to be suppressed. The Kyuubi was sealed inside a baby boy, named Naruto Uzumaki.

And Gekido and his dragon were finally captured.

Both were sent to execution. But before he was killed, Gekido vowed that his next reincarnation would finish the task that he could not. He promised that the next Guardian would rule the world as a powerful figure. He shouted with his final breaths that it would be the destiny of the next Guardian to change the world and become a person of great power that would influence every nation in the world.

It was at that point that the people of the world knew that the Guardian was a monster. And any reincarnation after Gekido would only destroy the world, just as he tried to do.

Gekido was executed, and a baby girl with the black circular tattoo was born into the world.

Deep inside the Land of Silver, Suki Kurohoshi wailed her first cry, not knowing of the destiny that was chosen for her.


	2. The Twelve Animals

**I figured I would insert this little tidbit as a reference. This describes the twelve animals of the zodiac. Please keep in mind that the Narutoverse sometimes has different names for the animals as opposed to the actual animals on the Chinese zodiac. Just so you guys know ;) **

**Also, some of the abilities listed are not true. While some of them actually are true, I had to make some up, just because there simply wasn't any information on all of the animals.**

**So I hope you enjoy this little bit of information!**

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**Rat: the animated animal**  
People born under this sign are sociable and talkative. In ninjutsu, the Rat sign gives motion to inanimate objects. Need an example? The Nara clan uses this sign for their shadow techniques.

**Ox: the hard-working animal**  
People born under this sign are persistent and can stick to a task longer than others are capable of. In ninjutsu, the Ox sign is used for gathering strength and stamina to keep pushing forward.

**Tiger: the leading animal**  
People born under this sign are fearless and known for their courage. In ninjutsu, the Tiger sign is most commonly affiliated with fire release techniques. Also, Kakashi Hatake used this sign for his One Thousand Years of Death technique.

**Hare: the delicate animal**  
People born under this sign are sweet and kind toward others. In ninjutsu, the Hare sign is used for gathering chakra to feet and legs to increase speed and jumping abilities.

**Dragon: the powerful animal**  
People born under this sign are known for their power and luck. In ninjutsu, the Dragon sign is used for completing seals.

**Serpent: the seducing animal**  
People born under this sign are known for their charming personalities. In ninjutsu, the Serpent sign is most commonly associated with earth release techniques. One example is Deidara's clay style jutsu.

**Horse: the active animal**  
People born under this sign are known for being active and popular. In ninjutsu, the Horse sign is used for healing others.

**Ram: the elegant animal**  
People born under this sign are artistic, creative, and fond of nature. In ninjutsu, the Ram sign is used for spiritual purposes. The user's soul can be split or released to travel the area.

**Monkey: the energetic animal**  
People born under this sign are cheerful beings filled with energy. In ninjutsu, the Monkey sign is most commonly associated with lightning release techniques.

**Bird: the observant animal**  
People born under this sign are precise and accurate in everything they do. In ninjutsu, the Bird sign is used for channeling the elements that surround the ninja. This sign allows the user to harness the energies and elements, such as water, plants, etc., and use them in attacks.

**Dog: the faithful animal**  
People born under this sign are honest and sincere. In ninjutsu, the Dog sign is most commonly associated with wind release techniques. An example would be Danzo's attacks during his fight with Sasuke.

**Boar: the pure animal**  
People born under this sign are honorable, sincere, and tolerant beings. In ninjutsu, the Boar sign is most commonly affiliated with water release techniques.


	3. Second Chance

**Here's the official first chapter! I hope you enjoy! I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I only own my OCs.**

**Some of my chapters will have the same titles as some songs. That's because I feel like some songs help describe the chapter.**

**Second Chance by Shinedown**

* * *

_Splash!_

The little girl ran through a deep puddle, soaking her entire right leg. She could feel the wet cloth sticking to her skin in an uncomfortable way.

But she kept running.

She had to keep moving. The villagers were hunting her down. And for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. The people of her home hated her. They disliked everything about her. They cursed her when she walked by them. They threw things at her back. There were multiple attempts to take her life.

And now, when she was finally leaving them, they tried to keep her there. Why? Why would they track her down just so they could torment her some more? She was doing them all a favor. They've hated her since she was born. And now she was leaving; they shouldn't be upset about it. Suki just couldn't understand why they were so angry about her disappearance.

_Thud!_

Suki's foot tripped over a lone rock in the path, causing her to fall over, face first into the ground. "Darn it," she muttered as she tried to pick herself up. The sound of screaming and cursing reached her ears. She turned around to look at the source. A little ways behind her, the men of her village were running up the path toward her.

The six-year-old girl scrambled to her feet, grabbed her backpack that had fallen onto the ground, and made a mad dash for a hiding spot. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a cave. Urging her legs to move faster, she redirected herself towards it.

She dove inside and hid herself in the darkness. As soon as she was inside, she realized that she was in a silver mine. The Land of Silver was famous for its plethora of mines. The country was alive only through its trading with the natural resources that it held.

Suki was disrupted from her observations when she heard the men outside. They were dangerously close to the opening of the mine. The little girl shrunk even deeper into the darkness.

The men lurking outside searched through bushes and trees, looking for the girl. "Jeez, where is that brat?"

"If we don't find her, the Lord may have our heads!"

"Hey, do you think she went inside that mine?" Suki had to stifle her squeak with her hand, praying that no one would enter the cave.

"Nah, no one's allowed to go in there except the miners."

"C'mon, let's go search the forest."

Suki listened to the rustling of the men entering the forest. She waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps or their voices. Once she knew the coast was clear, she slowly exited the cave. She placed her backpack securely over her shoulders and ran in the opposite direction that the men had gone in.

The girl pushed her legs as far as they would carry her.

And when they started to go numb, she pushed them even harder. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a dark cloud moving in to block the blue sky. Suki shook her head, almost as if in defiance.

_"Not yet… don't let it rain just yet!"_ she thought mentally to the sky.

But of course, the universe could never take orders from a six-year-old girl. At first, it drizzled lightly. And then it progressed into a full downpour. The rain came down in buckets. There was nowhere for Suki to take cover; she was in an open field that stretched for miles on end.

But she kept running. She had come too far to back down now. The girl only had to cross the border that divided the Land of Silver from the other nations. Suki hadn't even thought of where she was going. She just knew that she had to cross that invisible line that would lead to her freedom.

Suddenly, Suki felt her foot being sucked into something. She looked down to see that her left foot had been caught in the mud. She tried to free herself, but it was too late. She had been in mid-run when she discovered her trapped foot. And when she tried to free her foot, she ended up twisting her ankle.

The girl shrieked in pain as her ankle twisted itself. Suki fell to the muddy ground, but this time, she did not pick herself up. She was so tired… of everything.

The raindrops continued to tap endlessly on her head and back. She slowly lifted her face to look around. Luckily, the men still hadn't found her. She had time… for now.

The little girl, shivering from head to toe, lifted herself up so that she was sitting on her butt. The mud soaked through her pants, but she ignored it. It didn't matter.

Suki cautiously reached out and gently touched her left ankle. Barely touching it, she flinched in pain. The skin was starting to turn all different shades of purple and blue. The sight of her now swelling ankle brought on the realization that Suki had tried so hard to deny.

She was weak. She couldn't handle the harsh realities that life always threw at her. For six years, Suki had lived through torture. And even after all that time, she couldn't call herself brave. Everything that had ever happened to her only made her pity her life more and angry at herself for not being able to stand up for her pride.

_"Monster!"_

"Freak!"

"Killer!"

"Murderer!"

Suki quickly closed her eyes tightly, trying to force back the horrible voices that echoed through her head. These were some of the kinder nicknames that her fellow villagers called her. Yet, every time she heard them, tears formed in her eyes.

And this was no exception. The six-year-old tried to hold them back, but the tears had already leaked from her eyes. They slowly streaked down her face, leaving behind a path of salty wetness. Her teardrops mixed with the rain and mud on her face. After a few moments of sniffling, she wiped her face with her hands, careful to make sure that she didn't get any mud into her eyes.

As she wiped the scum off her face, she glanced at her right wrist. The strange birthmark in the shape of a circle. As she stared at it, Suki had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from crying again. This stupid tattoo…it was the reason for everything. As long as the little girl could remember, whenever a villager happened to glance at her, they would cower away and call her names. And Suki had begun to realize that they only avoided her because they had seen her wrist.

Suki didn't understand what was so bad about the mark. When she was alone, she had often stared at it, trying to figure out if it was supposed to be some kind of secret symbol. But whenever a villager saw the tattoo, their stares turned to hard glares. This birthmark was the source of all her problems.

The girl took a deep, calming breath to relieve her thoughts. She ripped a piece of cloth from her black Capri pants and wrapped it around her wrist. She hated the sight of it, and she was happy to see it hidden behind the rag.

Knowing that she had to continue her journey, Suki placed her hands on the ground. She used them as leverage to push her body up, careful to avoid stepping on her injured ankle. She removed her hands from the mud, creating a light squishy sound.

Carefully and slowly, Suki walked on. She was cold and hungry and tired. Being an orphan, she had no decent clothes, and at the moment, she only had her white T-shirt and black pants. She had little food that she had managed to steal from street vendors. Not that she felt good about stealing; she knew it was wrong. But it was the only possible way to find anything to eat. In addition, she had been running all day. And because of the cold rain, her body was numb. She knew she had reached her limit a while back, and she was way past the point of exhaustion.

As she walked, she accidentally applied too much pressure to her left leg. As a result, her leg gave out, and she collapsed back into the mud. "Darn it!" she screamed in anger. "I can't do anything…" She sighed, almost as if in defeat. At this point, she was almost debating with herself whether she should just wait for death by starvation, sickness, or pneumonia. Or maybe she should wait until the men found her and dragged her back to the village. At least there, there would be food. Then again, a lot of punishments were surely waiting for her as well.

The weak little girl curled her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly. Her bushy raven-black hair clung to her face from the mud and rain. Sadly, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a couple hair ties. She tied her hair into a ponytail, and then she braided it with the second rubber band.

Suki decided to just… wait. Wait for something. Who knows? Maybe the universe would decide to help her, rather than work against her. Exhibit A: the biggest downpour the young girl had ever witnessed in her short life.

"Life sucks…" Suki muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a flash of gold caught the girl's silver eyes. She turned her head to see… a bird. A large bird was standing, in the mud, a few feet away from her.

"What the heck?" the girl whispered. Birds did not stand in the mud when it was pouring like crazy outside.

Then again, this bird did not look like any bird Suki had ever seen before. It was about three feet tall, give or take a few inches. Its body was brown, but there were a bunch of golden feathers spread out through the bird's wings. But what really mesmerized Suki were the bird's eyes. The pupils were as dark as Suki's midnight black hair, and the rims of its eyes were a shining gold that matched its bright feathers. There was no doubt in Suki's mind; this bird was the most beautiful creature she had seen.

"Hello," Suki whispered to the creature. The bird stared at her intently, and then it turned its back to her. The girl frowned in disappointment, but when it turned its head to look at her, Suki immediately perked up. The bird stared at her for a moment longer before it flew off.

As she watched the bird fly away, Suki had a strange compelling feeling to follow the creature. She forced herself to stand up and walked after the bird. Slowly but surely, she followed the flying figure. There was definitely something bizarre about this bird. Because as far as Suki knew, birds could not fly in the rain; or at least they avoided it by taking shelter. So why was this bird with golden feathers and eyes able to fly in this awful downpour?

After a few minutes of walking, Suki had reached the edge of a forest. She stared into the brush, debating whether she should just stop now. She had lost sight of her leader, and she wasn't all that sure if she should be going into the dark woods.

Suddenly, through the black of the forest, two golden spheres opened and stared at Suki. The little girl gulped at first, but then she realized that those eyes belonged to the majestic bird. After a moment of looking into the deep golden eyes, the little girl walked into the forest. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to follow the shining gold that was now lighting her darkness.

After a while of walking, the eyes disappeared, and all that could be seen were shadows. The little girl almost started to panic, but then a peculiar scent reached her nose.

Food.

Cooked fish to be exact. She followed the smell, letting her nose lead the way now. The more she walked, the stronger the aroma became. Also, she could feel a strong warmth coming over her. She pushed herself through the brush and came to a tiny clearing. A tent was set up, and a tarp was hovering over a fire. And then she saw the fish. The sight of the food was so intoxicating that Suki felt her mouth start to water.

Suddenly, Suki started to feel… too warm. In fact, she felt like she was standing in the exact same spot where the fire was. She started to hyperventilate, and her vision started to blur. All she could see was the blurring image of the orange fire, the green tent… and a dark figure walking toward her. She took a step back to get away from the stranger. But before she knew it, the girl blacked out. She fell to the ground, unconscious. 

* * *

The man walked over to the now unconscious child. He knelt down beside her still form and touched his hand to her forehead. She was burning up.

_"How long has she been wandering in this rain?"_ the man thought.

He lightly put a hand over her legs to check for any other injuries. He discovered the swollen ankle, and he sighed.

"What have you been doing out here?" the man asked as he stared at the girl. He pulled out his medical kit and wrapped the ankle in gauze before splinting it.

He next checked her arms for anything out of the ordinary. He found a ripped piece of her pants tied around her right wrist. Wondering if it was some sort of laceration that needed treatment, he untied the cloth. His eyes widened at the sight. The black circular tattoo divided into twelve places… the mark of the Guardian.

The man glanced at the little girl's face. She was the picture of innocence. Her braided hair… her small face…the fact that she was hiding her tattoo only seemed to enhance her purity.

The man sighed again at that last thought. What kind of life could she have led if she was forced to cover up the symbol with a rag? Obviously, the man realized, she has had a difficult time.

The man's silver hair fell in front of his face as he scooped the girl up in his arms. He walked inside the tent and carefully removed her soaked clothes. He replaced them with his own set of black shirt and pants. They were gigantic on her small form, but at least they would keep her warm. The man then gently placed her in his sleeping bag. Next, he pulled out a cloth, soaked it with some cold water from his canteen, and placed it on her forehead to cool her fever.

The young man left the tent for a moment and returned with some of the fish that he had been cooking. When he returned, he noticed that the little girl was now stirring. He sat down beside her and waited for her to fully awake.

Her eyes opened, and her silver orbs met his black ones. When her mind finally registered where she was, what was going on, and who she was with, she instantly winced in fear and huddled under the sleeping bag as best as she could.

The man smiled down at her. "It's okay, little one. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help."

Suki slowly lifted her head out from under the sleeping bag and stared at the man in silent fear. "Who… who are you?" her small voice piped.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. And what is your name?"

"S-Suki Kurohoshi…" the girl replied.

Kakashi smiled through his black mask that covered more than half his face. "That's a beautiful name."

The girl stared at the man cautiously. Then she pointed at his head, or rather, his headband. "You're a ninja." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. And her tone of voice was almost informative, as if he didn't already know that he was a shinobi.

Kakashi brought his hand to his headband and tapped the Leaf symbol. "That's right. I'm a ninja for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Have you ever heard of that place?"

The girl slowly shook her head in a 'no' manner.

"Where do you live, Suki? Are you from the Land of Silver?" Kakashi asked.

She nodded.

"Then why were you out in this rain? Shouldn't you have been at home?"

Suki stayed silent.

Kakashi felt another pang of sympathy for the girl. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. In the meantime…" The man handed a stick with some cooked fish to the girl. "You should get your strength up. You look hungry."

At first, she hesitated. Then she slowly sat up and peeled the cloth on her forehead off. Kakashi handed her the food, and she slowly ate it. It was so delicious. If there wasn't some stranger staring at her, she would be gorging herself right now. But being the shy girl that she was, she took small bites.

Kakashi noticed this hesitation with the fish. Then he smiled through his mask. "I have to go outside and kill the fire, alright? You just keep eating." He stood up from his perch beside the sleeping bag and headed out of the tent to let her enjoy her meal.

As soon as he was gone, Suki devoured the fish. And she relished in every bite of it. She hadn't eaten all day, and her meals back in the village usually only consisted of a piece of bread or fruit. This was paradise.

After the man put out the campfire, he walked back into the tent to find that she had finished her dinner. If he had known that he would be in circumstances such as this, he would have caught more fish. He felt a little guilty, but at least she had something in her stomach, right?

He took his seat beside her, and she looked up at him with her shining eyes. "Thank you… for the fish and…taking care of me," she whispered almost inaudibly.

But Kakashi heard her gratitude and smiled. "You're welcome, Suki."

The two stayed silent for awhile, just sitting inside the tent, lost in their own thoughts. Then the little girl turned to her rescuer. "Why did you help me?"

Kakashi stared intently at the girl's face. Her expression only showed bewilderment. "Because you needed my help. Why else?" he answered in a soft voice.

"Well… no one has ever helped me before," Suki admitted.

At first, the man was surprised. But after considering her circumstances, he realized that this was the kind of treatment he should have expected for the Guardian who was to take Gekido's place…

"Suki… don't you have any parents or relatives to take care of you?" Kakashi asked.

The girl shook her head. "I never knew my parents. And the villagers are all mean to me."

"Is that why you were out in the rain? Were you running away from home?" Kakashi asked as he stared at the girl's face for any indication that he was right.

And he found it. The girl bit her lower lip as if to keep her from letting a secret escape. But as she looked into his one onyx eye, as the other one was hidden behind his headband, she felt that she could trust him. So she nodded her head in answer to his questions.

Kakashi nodded his head once in understanding. "Suki… did you know where you were going when you were running away?"

The little girl tilted her head to the side in thought. Then she shook her head in response. "No… I was just…running."

The man nodded his head again. After hearing this girl's situation, an endless train of thoughts was soaring through his mind. He decided to pick one of those ideas and give it a shot.

"Suki… do you realize your ankle is badly twisted?" Kakashi asked.

The girl looked under the cover of the sleeping bag and noticed the makeshift cast that her savior had created. She nodded her head to question. "I hurt it when I was running away and fell into a mud puddle."

"I see…" Kakashi muttered. "Well, you shouldn't be walking on it. And since my village, Konoha, has great medical treatment, it would be my honor to escort you to my home to get checked up and healed."

"I… I don't know…" Suki stammered cautiously.

Sure, this guy had saved her…but could she really go so far as to follow him to his own village? She didn't know him all that well, just his name really. Then again… she was running away, and she probably would've stumbled upon Konoha Village sooner or later. Plus, she wanted to get as far away from this place as soon as possible.

So she nodded her head. "Yes… that would be great."

Kakashi smiled. "Good." He reached his hand out and touched her forehead. She was still really warm. "Now, how about you go back to sleep and get some rest? I'll wake you up tomorrow morning when we leave."

The girl nodded her head and laid back down into the comfort of the sleeping bag. As soon as her head made contact with the pillow, her eyes started to go heavy. Kakashi re-soaked the cloth and placed it back on her forehead.

Before her mind could go completely into the peaceful world of sleep, she looked at the man. "Kakashi… thank you… for everything."

The silver-haired jounin stared at her and gave her a warm and comforting smile. "You're welcome, Suki." The girl smiled back and then fell asleep. 

* * *

The next morning, Suki felt something nudge her shoulder. Slowly, she dragged herself from the wonderful dreamland and opened her eyes. One eye was staring at her while the other was, of course, still hidden behind his headband.

"It's time to get up, Suki," Kakashi said softly.

The girl lightly groaned but obliged nevertheless. She pulled herself into a sitting position and removed the damp cloth from her head. The man handed the girl her pile of clothes.

"Here, these are dry now," Kakashi said. "I'll give you a few minutes."

He stood up and left the tent while Suki proceeded to change her clothes. Once she was finished, she limped out of the tent to see Kakashi packing some of his things away. He took his clothes and threw them in his backpack as well. Then he took down the tent and stuffed it away.

"Alright, everything is packed. You ready to go?" Kakashi asked as he looked down at the girl whose head only reached to about his hip. Suki nodded her response. "Okay, then let's get going."

Before Kakashi had a chance to bend down to pick the girl up, a loud rustling sound came from the brush. The jounin instantly went into defense mode as he stared at the direction of the noise.

Suddenly, a group of about ten men appeared from the edge of the woods. The men were carrying ropes, pitchforks, and bats. It was a classic angry-mob-of-villagers group.

At the sight of the weapons, Kakashi only deepened his stance. "May I ask what you all are doing here? Or did you just wish to send me your regards on a safe trip back to my village?"

The group glared at him, and then their eyes rested on the bushy-raven-haired girl standing beside Kakashi. The man in front, presumably the leader, growled as he stared at the six-year-old. "We've been looking everywhere for that girl. Now, if you could be so kind as to hand her over, we'll gladly be on our way."

_"So these are her fellow villagers… No wonder she ran away…"_ Kakashi thought to himself. "Well, I was planning on taking her back to my village to have her checked out. She's sick and has an injured ankle."

"We can take care of that," a second man said. "She is of our village, after all."

"Yeah, don't worry. We'll take good care of the kill- I mean, the girl," a third man added.

Kakashi quirked his eyebrow at the group. "Really? Because judging from that stash of weapons you all have, I think that the girl will be safer in my hands."

"Right! Like we're going to let a ninja from a stranger village take away one of our own," the leader yelled at the jounin. The man turned his eyes on Suki. "C'mon, Suki. It's time to go home," the man growled fiercely. His teeth clenched as he spoke, and his red eyes sparked fear into the little girl's heart.

Suki started to shake where she stood. But then she found enough strength to move herself to hide behind Kakashi's legs.

"You stupid brat! Get over here!" the leader yelled angrily.

Without turning around, Kakashi could feel the small form standing behind him start to shake violently. The Leaf ninja glared back at the mob. "I think you had better back off."

"Who do you think you are, just whisking away one of our own villagers like that?" a small stout man with greasy red hair yelled.

"Well, last time I checked, I'm pretty sure that I am Kakashi Hatake of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But if you can prove to me that I am otherwise, then please, feel free to show me that I am wrong."

The expressions of the angry villagers, all at once, turned into ones of shock.

"He's Kakashi Hatake?"

"Copy Ninja Kakashi!"

"Sharingan Kakashi!"

The men instantly took a step back in fear. The Leaf jounin smirked under his mask. "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, this little girl needs medical treatment."

"Y-You won't get away with this!" the leader yelled, even though the terror could be heard in his voice.

Kakashi kneeled down so Suki could ride on his back. He placed his hands securely on her legs to make sure she didn't fall off. He turned back around to face the village men. "What exactly won't I get away with?"

"Don't play coy, Hatake!" the leader growled, more fiercely this time. "When our Lord finds out, he will not be happy! And Konoha will be known as a village of criminals for taking away one of our own!"

"Alright," Kakashi replied simply. The men gawked at the silver-haired man's response. Even Suki was surprised by his curt reply. Everyone was still staring at him when he continued on. "In fact, go on ahead now and tell him. Let him know that the Leaf Village will be treating this child with a lot more care than you people ever could manage."

The men glared at Kakashi, but before they could make a snarky comeback, the ninja grabbed his pack and headed off into the woods.

The man in charge let out a low grumble in anger. His blood red eyes squinted in rage, but his dark hair fell to cover them. One of the others of the group tapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon Chishio, we must tell our Lord. He will be very upset with this."

"Yes, you're right. He would want to know that the Guardian has been taken out of his sights. Let's go," the man named Chishio said. He stalked away, his men following suit. 

* * *

Kakashi flew through the trees of the forest, hopping from one branch to the next. Suki was seated on his back, her small arms wrapped around the man's neck. They squeezed tighter as Kakashi seemed to be getting higher with every leap.

The girl's arms were now choking the silver-haired man. "Suki…"

"Huh?" the girl replied, her eyes closed so she didn't have to see how high up they were.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Kakashi asked.

Suki opened her eyes a little but then quickly closed them when she saw how far away the ground was. "How did you know?"

"Because you're stopping the flow of oxygen into my lungs," Kakashi replied.

Realizing that she was, indeed, choking the man, she loosened her hold around his neck. In gratitude, the shinobi dropped down so he was on the ground, walking.

"Thank you," Suki whispered.

"No problem. Besides, I needed to breathe sooner or later," Kakashi remarked.

The little girl chuckled at his statement. Her laugh was so light and soft, but it was adorable nonetheless. She was only six; it was to be expected.

"Kakashi…?" Suki started.

"Yes?"

"Why…?"

"Why what?" Kakashi asked.

"Why are you helping me? You've never met me before. And everyone else seems to hate me anyway. Why are you so nice to me?" Suki asked.

Kakashi stopped walking as she asked her questions. The little girl instantly grew nervous. Had she said something wrong? Would he throw her on the ground and leave her here on her own because he now knew that everyone disliked her?

But she became relieved again when his head turned to look at her with a smile. "You needed me. And I don't turn my back on anyone who needs my help. That's my ninja way."

Suki stared at him with wondering eyes as he proceeded to walk down the path. She slowly placed her head down so that her cheek was resting on his shoulder. "Thanks… for helping me," she muttered.

"You're welcome," Kakashi replied.

He continued to walk down the road. They passed the border that marked the Land of Silver, and the two continued on toward the Land of Fire, where Konoha Village was awaiting them.


	4. The Conference

Kakashi had been walking for hours. Suki was still holding on to his back. She had fallen asleep a while back. During the entire journey back, the man had been wondering what would happen to the six-year-old girl. It probably wasn't the best idea to take her away from her home and threaten the villagers about it at the same time. However, Suki's life would only have gotten worse if she went back. Surely, she would have received punishment for attempting to run away. And there was no way Kakashi was going to allow that to happen, at least not while he had the chance to keep her safe.

After a few more moments of walking, a large gate appeared beyond the forest line. Just above the gate, resting behind the village, the Hokage Monument could be seen. The four faces looked out over the village that they had strived to protect.

"Hey, Suki. It's time to wake up," Kakashi whispered.

The little girl moaned. She lifted her head from his shoulder and shook it to rid it of any remaining sleepiness. "Are we there yet?" Suki muttered.

"Yup. Welcome to the Fire Country's Village Hidden in the Leaves," Kakashi announced softly.

She peered past Kakashi's silver hair and looked at the village. Her eyes instantly widened.

Konoha was so…colorful. There were so many beautiful buildings that inhabited the village. Lit-up signs were everywhere, trying to attract tourists and locals alike to get them to buy their products. And it was huge. The entire village was probably twice the size of her village in the Land of Silver. There were so many trees around as well. The Silver Country only had forests near the border. Everything else was pretty much stone and mines in her home.

"Whoa…" was all Suki managed to say.

Kakashi smiled at her astonishment. "I'm going to take you to the hospital now. We need to get that ankle checked out." Suki chose that moment to sneeze. "I also think you have a cold."

"Yeah," the girl replied as she rubbed her nose.

Kakashi walked on through the village. There were so many people around. Crowds and crowds of people walked by to go on with their busy lives. Merchants, customers, even shinobi were all bustling about.

After walking down different roads, the jounin finally arrived at the hospital. Kakashi walked in and waited for a nurse to assist him.

A few seconds passed when a young nurse with red hair noticed the two hovering by the door. She ran up to them enthusiastically. "Hello, what can I help you with?"

"This little girl has a twisted ankle. She also may have a cold since she was out in the rain," the ninja explained.

"Oh, alright. Bring her this way," the nurse ordered.

She led Kakashi down a hallway. They passed a bunch of rooms until the nurse finally stopped and allowed them to walk inside. It was a relatively small room. There was one bed, a nightstand, and a few chairs for visitors. The whole room was white. It was a little blinding. Literally, everything in the room was pale.

The man placed Suki on the bed. She positioned herself so that she was leaning against the pillow. The bed was very comfortable. The nurse left for half a second and returned with a bunch of medical supplies.

"Alright sweetheart, I just need to check out all your vitals and such," the nurse said sweetly. The woman felt Suki's pulse, listened to her breathing, checked her eyes and ears, and ran her hand over her body to check for bruising or cuts.

Then she came to Suki's right wrist. She stared at the black cloth that was tied around it. Then the woman noticed that Suki's pants were torn. Tearing clothes to tie around flesh was normally used as a makeshift bandage. The nurse instinctively reached over to untie the rag.

Suki immediately slapped the nurse's hand away from her wrist. "That's fine!" she said hastily. The nurse furrowed her eyebrows at the dark-haired child. Realizing that she was acting a bit suspicious, Suki calmed down before continuing. "It's not a cut. There's nothing wrong with my wrist."

Still bewildered, the nurse turned to Kakashi, who was staring at Suki's small face. He knew her reasoning for lashing out. The girl didn't want anyone to see her tattoo.

The circular tattoo was the mark of fear for anyone who had witnessed the blood that had been spilled during the era of Gekido's reign of terror. Most adults had lived to see the violence and war that had ensued only seven years before. Kakashi had seen it. Konoha in particular was scarred because of Gekido's madness. The attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon was a result of the previous Guardian's insanity.

The silver-haired ninja turned to the nurse. "I think we should listen to her wishes. If she does not want her wrist to be checked out, then do not touch it."

The nurse was surprised at both Suki's and Kakashi's stubbornness, but she proceeded nonetheless. "Well, I'll have to get a doctor to take care of that ankle. Will you be staying with…"

"Her name is Suki Kurohoshi. And I have to report to the Hokage to fill out my mission report," Kakashi informed.

Suki instantly went into panic mode. The one person she trusted in this village, and he was going to leave? "But…Kakashi…" she stammered in fear.

The ninja instantly sensed the terror in his voice. He gave her a reassuring smile. He placed his hand on her head in assurance. "Don't worry, Suki. I'll be back to check up on you when I'm done, alright?"

Suki hesitated at first, but then she nodded.

"Good. Then I'll see you." In a puff of smoke, he was gone.

"You sit tight, sweetie. I'll go get a doctor," the nurse informed. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Suki was left alone in the white, blank room.

* * *

Inside the Land of Silver, the angry mob that was sent to find the Guardian stood before the leader of their village. And the Lord was not happy.

"You let her escape?" the wrinkled man yelled. Even though he was close to his sixties, he was in good shape and could easily clobber anyone who was unfortunate enough to get in his way.

Tetsu Yama was not a normally happy man. Nothing was ever good enough, even if it was the greatest thing to happen in the century. So when things actually went wrong, he would gladly destroy anything that happened to be in his path.

"Well, you see Lord Tetsu, it wasn't our faults," Chishio tried to explain.

"How dare you try to take the blame off of yourselves?" the leader of the village yelled. "I sent you to go after Suki, and you show up empty handed! You all will take full responsibility for this!"

The group of men all flinched in unison. Whenever the Lord used that line, it usually meant execution.

"Please, Sir, hear me out," Chishio begged. "We nearly had the girl in our grasps. But then, a ninja from the Leaf Village took her away. He even acknowledges the fact that he has committed a crime. He said to tell you that our village could not match up to Konoha's treatment for her."

"WHAT?" Tetsu yelled. "Who is this ninja who thinks he can disgrace our village like this?"

"He is Kakashi Hatake," Chishio informed.

Inside his mind, the man with the blood red eyes was smirking. He couldn't wait for Lord Tetsu to demolish the silver-haired punk. Even though Tetsu Yama was not a ninja, he has been know, in his previous days as a warrior, to take down any ninja who dared to stand up to him.

Tetsu growled loudly. "The Leaf Village will not get away with this. Chishio, you will accompany me to the Land of Fire. We leave tomorrow. We will show them that Kagayaku Village is not to be trifled with."

Chishio smiled. "Of course, Lord Tetsu."

* * *

Suki was sleeping soundly in her hospital bed. A doctor had already healed her ankle with medical ninjutsu. After that, she had been given medication to treat her cold. A side effect was drowsiness, and she instantly fell asleep as the drug began to do its work.

The door to her room slowly creaked open. The red-haired nurse silently walked into the room. She placed her hand on the girl's head. Suki's fever had gone down immensely. The nurse smiled down at the girl. Her small face was adorable, and her braided hair was so messed up from her journey, adding to the picture of cuteness.

The woman's eyes drifted over to Suki's covered wrist. The redhead's curiosity immediately peaked. It was strange for the six-year-old to be so stubborn about the nurse looking at her wrist. She had begun to think that maybe there was some sort of injury that the child might have been embarrassed about. And if it was an injury, it was the nurse's job to help her.

The woman gently untied the black cloth around Suki's wrist. It slipped away, revealing a black circle divided into twelve sections. It was the mark of the Guardian.

The nurse gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth. She stared at the tattoo for a whole thirty seconds before turning to look at Suki's face. The child was small and frail. An air of innocence emanated from her being. But…by just looking at the tattoo, the nurse could only feel fear and hatred toward the girl.

The redhead quickly retied the cloth around Suki's wrist and ran from the room. This secret was too important to be kept quiet. She had to tell someone…anyone…everyone. The Guardian was back, and she was in Konoha.

* * *

The Third Hokage sat in his office, staring at the silver-haired jounin standing before him. The old man sighed deeply, pulled out his pipe, and puffed out a huge cloud of smoke.

After a few moments of smoking, the Third put his pipe down and stared hard at the ninja. "Kakashi…you do realize that you set Konoha up for a lot of trouble, don't you?"

The man nodded his head. "I do. But I wasn't prepared to hand the girl back over to those men. They would have done terrible things to her if I let them."

"I understand that…" the Hokage said. "But it is still the principle of the matter. Suki Kurohoshi has no affiliation with Konoha. As far as we know, she was born in Kagayaku Village of the Silver Country. She claims to have no parents, but her villagers are more of a family to her then we are in this situation."

"Then that is some messed up family," Kakashi muttered.

"Kakashi, technically speaking, you are a kidnapper," the Third said.

"I'm aware," the jounin replied bluntly.

"When the leader of Kagayaku arrives, he will have a big fit. And I say when because I know for a fact that it will happen," the Hokage stated. "But what I want to know is…why bring this child back? You say that she needed help, but I know you, Kakashi. There is a deeper meaning to this situation than you're letting on."

Kakashi closed his eye before he spoke. He sighed. "I guess you should know… Suki Kurohoshi… is the new Guardian."

The Third Hokage's eyes widened until they reached the size of saucers. Then he closed them and sighed loudly. He brought his pipe back to his lips and had another smoking session, trying to clear his head.

When he was done, he stared back at the shinobi before him. "Kakashi, I send you to the Land of Silver to deliver a message to the feudal lord. And you come back with the six-year-old Guardian…"

"Lord Hokage, I realize that you are worried for Konoha's well-being. But should this situation become too much to handle, I am prepared to handle this myself. I will take full responsibility for my actions."

The Third sighed, releasing a puff of smoke. "Kakashi…do you know the reason to why the Land of Silver will want to keep Suki in their clutches?" he asked.

"I assume that it has something to do with wanting to protect themselves, should a shinobi nation attempt to take over. They would want to use her as a weapon," Kakashi said.

"You assume correctly," the Third replied. "She has no relationship to anyone other than her fellow villagers. And because of her citizenship in Kagayaku, Suki will most likely remain there."

Kakashi looked down at the floor in disappointment. "I see…"

"Kakashi…" the Third Hokage said. The man in question looked back up. "I promise… we will do everything we can to help her."

* * *

The next morning, sunlight streamed down upon the village. Just as the day before, and everyday before then, the people of Konoha were busily running errands and going on with their daily lives.

In the hospital, Suki could feel fluorescent lights burning her eyes. She slowly opened her silver orbs and glared at the incessant lights for disturbing her slumber. She sat up and rested her back against the pillow.

It was then that she noticed that Kakashi was sleeping soundly in one of the chairs against the wall. She smiled softly at him. The jounin had been nothing but nice to her ever since she stumbled upon his camp in the woods just a couple days ago. Suki couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude toward him.

Suddenly, a mumbling sound could be heard from the other side of the door. Suki cocked her head. She slipped out of the bed and quietly walked over to the door, careful to be silent for Kakashi's nap. She made it to the door and pressed her ear to it to hear better. It was then that she realized that the mumbling was talking. Two people were talking outside her door.

Suki realized that one of the voices belonged to the redheaded nurse that had treated her just a few hours ago.

"That girl in there is a monster," the red-haired nurse said.

Suki immediately froze.

"She shouldn't be allowed in here," an unfamiliar female voice agreed.

This couldn't be happening.

"I wonder if the Hokage knows…" the redhead said.

This village was the same as her original village.

"If he doesn't, we had better make sure he does," the second voice said.

These people hated her too. Why was it that everyone who knew her hated her?

"The last thing Konoha needs is that brat here. She's a killer, and she'll destroy this village if given the chance," the redheaded woman said.

"Yes. Just like he tried to do," the second woman said.

Suki didn't know who he was, but obviously, he was somehow connected to the six-year-old. And that was why everyone hated her. Whoever he was, she was just as bad as he was.

Suddenly, Suki felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise, but she turned around to see Kakashi standing behind her.

"How are you feeling, Suki?" he asked.

"G-Good," she stuttered.

Kakashi stared down at her, not failing to hear her stutter. "How about you sit back in the bed? I'll go find a doctor."

She nodded and ran back to the bed. He turned back to the door, but before he turned the knob, he heard the red-haired nurse's voice.

"If she's anything like Gekido, this world will suffer just as it did seven years ago," she said.

Kakashi sighed before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. The two nurses immediately jumped in shock at his sudden appearance. "Hello, ladies," he greeted, trying to stay friendly.

"Hello," both nurses cooed. They blinked their eyes at him, trying to seem seductive. But really, they only looked like they were trying to blink away dust that had collected in their artificial-looking eyes.

The ninja groaned inwardly at the superficiality of the women. "Can either of you get me a doctor? Suki is awake."

"Okay!" the nurses exclaimed in unison. Both ran off at the same time, trying to find the nearest doctor to please Kakashi.

The man with silver hair shook his head in annoyance before he went back inside the room.

* * *

After hours of traveling, Lord Tetsu and Chishio finally arrived at the gates of the Leaf Village. They had come on horseback, and two Leaf ninja who were stationed at the gates stared up at them in surprise.

"Um, excuse me? But do you have permission to be here?" one of the two ninja asked.

"I wish to speak to your leader," Tetsu growled.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But if you don't have an appointment, we can't allow you to proceed," the second ninja said.

Tetsu grabbed both ninja by the collars of their shirts. "You will take me to the Hokage… unless, of course, you both wished to be skinned alive," the man growled.

The two ninja stared in shock at the old man. Excluding the Kages, lords and leaders usually did not display this kind of brutality. But this man - this crazy old man - was ready to destroy them.

The first Leaf shinobi shakily raised his hand. "W-W-We'll t-t-take you t-t-to Lord Hokage," he stuttered.

Rather than smiling, Tetsu only deepened his scowl. He threw the ninja to the ground. "THEN GET A MOVE ON IT!" he yelled.

The shinobi quickly scrambled to their feet and ran into the village. Tetsu and Chishio followed on their horses, passed the staring villagers, toward the Hokage building.

* * *

Kakashi and Suki were now leaving the hospital. The doctor had deemed Suki fit to leave, and she was happy to be out of there. There was no point in staying in the same building with nurses who could poison her in her sleep. And Suki knew they would do it if given the chance.

"So Suki, do you want to go get something to eat? I know that hospital food can be pretty gross sometimes," Kakashi said.

Suki smiled. "Sure!"

Suddenly, a brown hawk swooped down toward Kakashi. He raised his left arm for the bird to land on. The bird landed swiftly on his arm, and the ninja took the note that was attached to its leg. Kakashi's eye quickly examined the note before sighing.

"So he's already here…" he thought to himself.

Suki stared at the man beside her in worry. "Kakashi, are you alright?"

Kakashi turned to look at the six-year-old child. "Sorry, Suki. Our lunch break is going to have to wait."

"What's wrong?"

"We have…a meeting to go to," Kakashi replied. "C'mon." He walked down the path, the raven-haired girl following closely behind.

Kakashi watched her as the walked. She was so intrigued with all of her surroundings. Kagayaku was nothing like this place. And she was thrilled with the idea that, since she had run away, she would possibly be able to live here now.

Kakashi, however, was sad on the inside. He didn't know why, but he felt very protective of Suki. They had only met a few days before, and that was an accident all on its own. But for some reason, he couldn't help but feel that she needed him. And because of his old friend, Obito Uchiha, he knew that he could never leave behind someone who needed him.

Yes, it was his old childhood friend who had taught him that. He knew it was against the rules to take her away from Kagayaku, and that he was now probably considered trash to anyone who knew of the situation. But by leaving this helpless girl behind, he would be going against his and Obito's morals. He would gladly be considered trash if that meant he could help Suki when she needed assistance the most.

They neared the building, and he stared at the Fire insignia before looking at Suki. "Well, shall we, Suki?"

"Okay," Suki replied, not knowing of the fact that inside that building, her whole life would be determined by the leaders of the Land of Silver and the Land of Fire.

* * *

It was the worst thing that could ever happen to her. It was her worst nightmare. It was the end of the world. It was a terrible tragedy. It was the signal of her impending doom.

It was…him.

Lord Tetsu Yama was standing in the Hokage's office, waiting for her. And Chishio, the man with the frightening red eyes, was there as well. Suki had met Lord Tetsu several times before. Whenever she was caught stealing food or clothes - which she already felt bad about doing in the first place - she was sent to his office, where she would receive a harsh punishment. These usually included whippings, beatings, or something else that was just as painful.

And now he had found her. He was standing in front of the Hokage's desk, and when his eyes found her, he growled loudly. Suki instinctively hid behind the closest thing she could, which ended up being Kakashi's legs.

Kakashi noticed her fear and glared at Tetsu, something that the Lord was not happy about. "I'm pretty sure that the fact that Suki is hiding right now does not help your case, Lord Tetsu," Kakashi spat.

"My case needs no helping," Tetsu scoffed. "Only the laws apply here. And kidnapping is a serious felony in any nation, Kakashi Hatake."

"So is inflicting pain on a helpless child," Kakashi snarled.

"You have no proof of this! How dare you make assumptions like that?" Tetsu yelled.

"Lord Tetsu, how about we take this meeting to a more suitable place, huh?" the Third Hokage interrupted. He slowly stood up and led the way to the four others in the room to the conference room.

The conference room held one large table with about twenty chairs around it. This room was normally used for meetings with the Third Hokage and captains of departments. The Hokage and Kakashi sat on one side while Lord Tetsu and Chishio sat across from them. Suki was seated at the end of the table, right between the representatives of the two very different villages.

"Now, let us continue," the Hokage said. "Kakashi, how do you know that Suki has been beaten? Do you have evidence of this?"

"When I was in the forest, preparing to leave with Suki, this man," Kakashi pointed at Chishio, "was leading a mob with men all yielding weapons."

"But not once did Chishio or the other men lay any of those weapons on the girl," Tetsu countered.

"That's because I made sure that they came nowhere near her," Kakashi replied.

"Ha! So you admit to kidnapping a member of Kagayaku Village!" Tetsu pointed his finger at Kakashi accusingly.

"That was actually a confession to keeping Suki safe. But if you want to hear it, I'll say it." Kakashi glared at Tetsu and Chishio before he spoke again. "I acknowledge the act of my kidnapping of Suki Kurohoshi."

"And that is all I needed to hear to take Suki back." Tetsu turned his gaze over to the child. Suki had been playing with braided hair during the adults' conversation. But when Tetsu's eyes met hers, she instantly sunk deeper and deeper into her chair.

"However," Kakashi interrupted, "I refuse to allow Suki to return to such a violent village such as your own."

"We are not violent. We only do what is best for our people," Chishio said. He crossed his arms over his chest as if to seem superior. "And if strict discipline is what Suki needs to be taught obedience, then so be it."

"So you beat all your citizens, then?" the Third Hokage asked.

Chishio faltered for a second, but he recovered before it was ever noticeable. Tetsu scowled. "That does not concern you, now does it?" the Lord remarked.

"Perhaps it does," Kakashi glared.

Angered, Tetsu pounded his giant fist on the table and stood up, increasing his intimidation. "What is it with you?" he yelled as he pointed at the masked jounin. "Why do you worry about that brat so much? I refuse to believe that some random ninja from a stranger village cares for Suki when her own parents abandoned her at birth!"

Everything seemed to freeze. Tetsu was a little upset at having released that fact since not even most of his own villagers knew about that fact. However, he kept his face hard and twisted into a snarl to show his coercion. Chishio knew of that fact from the beginning. And he, personally, could understand why the parents had left Suki behind. After seeing that tattoo…

The Third Hokage was very disappointed at this news. He did not approve of parents leaving a child behind. And he felt a pang of pity when he thought of Suki.

Kakashi was now angered more than ever. After he recovered over his initial shock at the news, he glared daggers at the Silver Country's representatives. Had his face not been covered by his mask, everyone would see that his expression showed a deep, threatening snarl.

"W-What?" a weak stammered voice piped up.

Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at Suki. After arguing back and forth, the adults had almost forgotten that the little girl was even in the room. She was staring at them all, her silver eyes wide, and her mouth open in astonishment.

Hearing that her parents abandoned her was like the final knife to her heart. She had suffered a lot during her six years of life. The villagers hated her, she was starving most of the time, and her home was an old run-down orphanage. However, there had always been that fleeting thought… that hope that everything could have been okay. She had always assumed, or at least hoped, that the reason her parents couldn't be with her was because they had died. She had always hoped that they loved her and cherished her, but their deaths had been the reason that she was alone.

How wrong she was. Suki had parents. They were alive somewhere. They could've been with her. They could've been sitting here at this moment, comforting her, telling her that everything would be okay.

But they weren't. They weren't there…because they chose not to be there. They left her behind, because they didn't want her. They abandoned Suki like a piece of trash.

"_And maybe that's all I am,"_ Suki thought sadly. _"Maybe that's all I'll ever be…"_

Tears solemnly fell down her cheeks. Realization was finally hitting. There had never been someone who loved her…nor would there ever be someone to love her.

"Suki…" The little girl looked up to the kind old man who had said her name. He handed her a handkerchief that he had literally pulled from his sleeve. "If you want, you can go wait outside."

"No!" Tetsu answered immediately. "The girl stays here. I don't trust her alone in the hallway where more of you filthy Leaf shinobi can kidnap her again."

"I guarantee you that no one would attempt to kidnap her at this moment," the Third Hokage said. Tetsu's face hardened even more. The leader of Konoha sighed. "But if you wish, she will remain here."

"Good!" Tetsu yelled.

The ninja with silver hair looked at the leader of Kagayaku with disdain. "Lord Tetsu, if I may ask, where does Suki live?" Kakashi asked.

"She lives in an orphanage," Tetsu said cautiously as he glared at Kakashi.

"So…her parents are not in the picture anymore, and she lives in an orphanage…" Kakashi mumbled.

"What are you getting at?" Chishio asked.

Kakashi looked up to stare coldly at the two men sitting in front of him. He glanced at Suki, and his eyes softened a little. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I want to adopt Suki."


	5. Flashback

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Glance into the Past~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The leader of Kagayaku was walking down the streets of his village. And right now, Tetsu Yama was not particularly happy. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he had been happy…for anything. But he didn't care. Life was imperfect, and to be happy about little things was just annoying.

But for him to be called down to the hospital was beyond irritating. For one thing, the hospital was across the village from his office. That was a lot of walking. And another infuriating thing was that no one would freaking tell him what the heck was going on. One moment, he is sitting in his office filling out paperwork, and the next, he is being called down to see some woman who had just given birth.

He didn't really understand what was so important. And he really didn't want to see the aftereffects of the birthing process. He hated children, and especially babies, because they just didn't know when to shut up.

Tetsu finally made it to the hospital, and he barged in, not waiting for anyone to assist him. Frantic nurses, now noticing that their leader was in their midst, ran up to him, telling him of the situation.

"Well, you see Sir, Akarui Kurohoshi just gave birth to a baby girl…" one of the nurses informed.

"Obviously, something else must be going on!" Tetsu yelled. "Just show me where they are."

The nurses nodded their heads and led the Lord down the hallway. When they came to the room, Tetsu threw the door open and stormed inside. A woman with snow white hair was seated on the bed, her shining silver eyes sobbing sadly. A man with hair as dark as night was standing beside his wife. The man was attempting to comfort the woman in the bed, but he still seemed to be distressed about something.

"What is going on? What could possibly be so important that you had to bother me, Yakan?" Tetsu asked the man standing beside the bed.

The man named Yakan slowly walked over and bowed in front of the leader of Kagayaku. "I apologize for the inconvenience, my Lord. But…as you have probably heard, my wife has just given birth…"

"And what else?" Tetsu screamed. "Other than the fact that your kid will be hollering all night every night, what could possibly be the problem?"

"She…well…maybe you should see for yourself…" Yakan said sadly.

He walked over to a small crib, where a small bundle was lying. Tetsu followed and peered inside the bed to see a beautiful baby girl. She had a head full of black hair, just like her father. Since the girl was asleep, her eyes could not be seen. But it was obvious that if she had her mother's silver eyes, she would be ravishing when she was older.

"Okay, what is it I'm supposed to be looking at?" Tetsu snarled, hating having to look at the child. Even if he was staring at the cutest baby in the world, he would have growled.

"She…her wrist…" Yakan stammered. A loud cry could be heard from Akarui, who continued to sob.

Tetsu stared at the baby. He glanced at her left wrist, which seemed fine. He looked over at her other wrist, and then he gawked. A small black circle could be seen on the girl's wrist. Tattooed directly under the palm…was the mark of the Guardian.

Tetsu wheeled around to glare at Akarui. "You gave birth to the Guardian?" She choked out more sobs.

"Please, Lord Tetsu, understand. This is not what we wanted…" Yakan said, pointing at his newborn daughter.

"This is not my problem," Tetsu said. "You have brought a child into this world. The fact that she is the Guardian is your responsibility."

"But…" Yakan glanced at his wife and then his daughter. "We don't want her."

"Excuse me?" Tetsu asked, surprised.

"She is the Guardian…a monster…" Akarui said, stating the first words she had said since she had given birth. "She is the reincarnation of Gekido…I do not want to have anything to do with her."

"She is your daughter," Tetsu reminded. "What do you plan to do with her?"

Yakan and Akarui locked eyes. They nodded their heads at each other, almost as if they were reading each other's minds.

"We were planning to leave the village anyway," Yakan said. "For our jewelry selling business, we were going to travel around the world."

"And the child?" Tetsu asked.

"We had always hoped for a daughter," Yakan said. He turned his stare to his new daughter. And then he glared at the baby. "We did not want a monster."

"I can understand you wanting to leave for your business," Tetsu said. "But you expect me to take care of this…thing?"

"Please understand, Sir Tetsu…my wife and I…we have no desire to raise what will eventually become killer," Yakan said. "We have no interest in Suki anymore."

"You named her?" Tetsu asked. "You named her a word that means 'love'?"

"It was what I had always wanted to name my daughter," Akarui said solemnly. "I instinctively named her that when she was born. But the name means nothing now."

Yakan nodded. "We cannot possibly love a murderer…"

Tetsu nodded his head. Their situation was somewhat understandable. Who would want to raise the Guardian? Years ago, it was an honor. The Guardian was the sacred protector of the shinobi world. But that was before Gekido. That man…filled with rage…he destroyed everything. And the Guardian was now only a figure of danger and fear.

"Alright, so you can proceed with your travels…" the leader said. "And…Suki…will be placed in an orphanage."

"We don't care where she goes," Akarui said. "She is not our daughter anymore."

"Fine," Tetsu said. He turned to the nurses who were still standing inside the room. "Take the child to be taken care of elsewhere. When she is ready to leave the hospital, place her in an orphanage."

A nurse with light green hair nodded her head. "Yes, Lord Tetsu…" she muttered as she grabbed the baby girl. She left the room with Suki to place her in the infantry.

The woman gently placed the baby in a comfortable position in a crib. The green-haired woman stared down sadly at the baby. She was an adorable baby. And it was easy to tell that she would grow up to be beautiful.

But she was the Guardian.

It was a shame, really. To be cursed with what was supposed to be a gift…she was forever marked as a murderer. What was more…she could grow up to never kill a fly, and still, people would hate her. It was their nature. Creatures of habit…everyone had trusted the Guardian, and Gekido had to ruin it. And now humans were going through an era in which no one trusted anyone. And no one would trust the new Guardian.

"And the Guardian was supposed to hold the trust of everyone," the woman said sadly to herself.

She turned to walk away. She hovered by the door and glanced back at the baby in the crib. A baby girl named Suki… a name meaning love. And it was so painfully sad and ironic. Her own parents didn't even love her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	6. Gotta Be Somebody

**Here's another song title, it's so fitting!**

**Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback**

* * *

Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed. Uncharacteristically, Tetsu's mouth was dropped in shock. Chishio almost fell out of his seat at those five words; he only managed to stay upright by grasping the table until it looked like it would break under his hold. The Third Hokage, at first, was staring in astonishment. But then he smiled at Kakashi's declaration.

There was no precise emotion for Suki's expression. Her face changed from shock, to happiness, to fear, to hope… She honestly didn't really know how to feel in the first place.

"What did you say?" was all Tetsu was able to manage to say.

"I want to adopt Suki," Kakashi repeated, not hesitating one bit to get his point across.

Tetsu and Chishio gawked at the silver-haired man. "You… you're lying," Chishio managed to say.

"Why would I lie? What motives could possibly spur me to say it?" Kakashi countered.

"No! You cannot just take her away! Otherwise, Konoha will have two weapons!" Tetsu yelled.

"Weapons? I'm a weapon?" Suki asked.

All the adults looked at her again, almost as if they kept forgetting that the little girl of topic was sitting there.

Sarutobi sighed as he looked at Tetsu. "I see that she does not know."

"Know what?" the girl asked cautiously. She was looking between all four men, hoping for some answers.

"Are you sure you don't wish for her to leave the room?" the Hokage asked the leader of Kagayaku Village.

Tetsu growled. He was trapped in a corner. He didn't really know what to do. Should Suki leave the room so he could continue to argue with the Leaf shinobi? Tetsu didn't really like that idea, for he didn't trust these ninja sitting before him. But should she sit here and find out about the secret that she didn't even know about? That could prove to be dangerous.

But it was really his only option.

"Listen brat," Tetsu said as he turned to the girl from his village. "There are certain things that should be explained to you."

"You're going to tell her now?" Kakashi asked in disbelief.

"You stay out of this!" Tetsu snarled at the jounin. "She is of my village, and I will tell her what I want when I want!"

He turned back to the six-year-old. She was cowering in her seat as she locked eyes with the man's.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Tetsu continued. "Have you ever heard of the Guardian?"

"Y-Y-Yes," Suki stuttered. "He's supposed to protect the world from falling into war."

"Do you know Gekido, the previous Guardian?"

"Yes. He started a war because he wanted power," Suki answered.

"Well… that tattoo that you have on your wrist," Tetsu started. Suki took the chance to look at her wrapped-up wrist. "That's the sign of the Guardian."

Suki's eyes widened in shock. She looked from Tetsu, to Chishio, to the Hokage, to Kakashi. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think.

All she knew was that her terrible life was starting to make sense.

This was why her villagers hated her. She was the Guardian who had started a whole war, all in a quest for power. She was the one who unleashed the Nine-Tailed Fox on the Fire Country. She was the person who practically destroyed the world.

"I'm… I'm…" Suki started but couldn't finish.

"You're a monster is what you are," Tetsu finished for her. "And the Leaf Village is only trying to take you away from your home so you can fight for them."

"Suki is not Gekido," Kakashi interrupted. "She is not a monster. And we are only offering her a home, something that you have yet to provide for her in her six years of living!"

"How dare you accuse us of providing unfit care for her!" Chishio yelled as he stood up. He had stood up so quickly that his chair fell backwards. "You have no right to accuse our village of anything."

"Please, let us all take a deep breath," the Hokage interrupted. He glanced from Kakashi to the two Kagayaku residents. "It is important that we keep a level head."

A tense moment hung in the air as everyone stared at each other. While Sarutobi was attempting to keep peace, the other three males were sending glares at each other that could kill. Suki was staring off into space, lost in her own thoughts.

Kakashi broke the suspenseful silence with a deep sigh. "Well, regardless of Suki's past in your village, she is still an orphan. She has no family. And therefore, as a legal adult, I wish to become her adopted father."

Honestly, the young adult didn't even understand why he wanted to adopt Suki. He had never thought of himself as a family man. He never imagined he would ever have a family. He didn't even date, at least not after Rin died…

Kakashi turned his gaze to Suki, who was staring off into nothing.

So what was it about this little girl that urged him to act so impulsively? Did he want to adopt her simply because he felt bad for her? Was it because her life in her own village was so terrible that he wanted to save her and show her what true happiness felt like?

No. That definitely wasn't the answer.

That wasn't right, because Kakashi couldn't even remember the last time he had been truly happy.

It was probably when he still had his old team. With Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei…

Then why? Why did he insist on saving this six-year-old that everyone else seemed to hate?

And then it suddenly clicked in Kakashi's head.

He wanted to help her… because they both needed each other. She needed someone to care for her, to show her how to live life without being hated. She was the orphaned Guardian. In her village's eyes, she was a monster. She just needed compassion from someone.

He needed someone to help him remember his old self. He was an ANBU member, and he had killed his emotions long ago. But when he was with this child, he felt an overwhelming wave of protective care for her. He just needed a lifeline to bring him back to the real world… to give him a reason to be himself again.

"Why?" Tetsu asked, waking Kakashi from his thoughts. The silver-haired man looked up at the leader of the other village. "Why do you wish to adopt this child when her own parents didn't want her? What makes her so special to you?"

Suki seemed to have woken up as well when her lord started talking about her parents. She looked from Tetsu to Kakashi.

The jounin thought for a moment about the question. Then he spoke with unwavering seriousness. "I want to adopt Suki because I need her as much as she needs someone to care for her. She is special… simply because she is Suki. It is not a matter of anything specific about her that interests me. I do not wish to bring her here to make her act as Konoha's weapon. In fact, that is the kind of life that I wouldn't wish on anyone. All I want is for her to be happy."

Tetsu and Chishio both stared at the masked man. Their expressions both showed confusion, then doubt, and then finally surprise. No one had ever actually thought about adopting Suki in their home village. So the fact that someone like this man actually truly wanted to adopt the girl was very shocking. Tetsu stared hard at Kakashi, trying to find some hint of lying or hidden purpose in his words.

There was none, and Tetsu knew it.

The Hokage smiled at the ninja. When Rin had died, Kakashi had turned to ANBU. He thought that by killing his emotions, his pain would subside, and he wouldn't have to feel it ever again. But in actuality, the ANBU training had only made him a stiff and emotionless zombie. Sarutobi missed the old Kakashi, the one who had had fun with his team. Hiruzen knew that having something in his life to bring him joy would be beneficial to his well-being.

"So then, Lord Tetsu, do you have an issue with Kakashi Hatake adopting Suki Kurohoshi?" Sarutobi asked.

Tetsu Yama, for the first time in his life, stuttered. "Y-Y-Yes, I do! He kidnapped the child from our village! He committed a felony! What makes him suitable to be the father of that child?"

"I assure you, certain consequences will be held for Kakashi," the Hokage said. "But besides that mishap, he is a very reliable and responsible ninja. There is no doubt in my mind that he will take good care of Suki. And, of course, compensation will be paid to Kagayaku Village for the crime and for Suki's adoption."

Tetsu seemed to mull all this over in his head. He didn't really know what else to say. The Hokage was coming up with a lot of reasonable terms that would be beneficial to Kagayaku; money and the fact that there wouldn't be any more complaints about the fact that the Guardian was alive and residing in the village. Yes, the villagers were constantly whining about that little fact. They had often wondered why the lord didn't just simply kill the child when she was born.

No matter what anyone said about Tetsu Yama, he would never ever kill a baby, or let anyone kill an infant either. He was merciless, and it was often said that he had no heart. But he would never stoop so low as to take the life of an innocent.

After a long and hard debate with his inner self, Tetsu took in a deep breath. "Fine," he mumbled. "But I expect a large payment for the crime committed on my village as well as for the adoption."

"Of course," Hiruzen replied. "I will get right on that."

Tetsu turned to glance at Suki, who was so stunned she didn't know how she was supposed to feel. "There is no sense in bringing the child back to Kagayaku. We will send copies of her birth certificate and other important documents back here as soon as possible."

"That is fine," Sarutobi said. "Shall we go to my office to sign some other papers as well?" And with that, the four adults stood up and headed toward the Hokage's office.

Suki stood outside the office, waiting. She stared at the wall in confusion, trying to decipher what the heck was going on. She couldn't even fully contemplate what had happened in the conference room.

After about ten minutes, the office door opened. Tetsu and Chishio walked briskly out of the room. The lord of her old village looked down at her before he spoke to her. "Don't make me regret my decision about leaving you here," he said roughly. Then he huffed and turned on his heel, walking proudly down the hallway.

The man with the blood red eyes looked at Suki as well. "Don't forget what the lord has done for you. It is because of him that you are still alive. Be grateful in the decisions he has made for you." And then he too walked away, leaving Konoha.

Remember what the lord did for her? Like what?

Beat her? Whip her? Leave her in some dirty smelly orphanage? Yeah, that all definitely seemed like it was for her own good…

It wouldn't be until she was older that Suki realized all that Tetsu really did for her. Keeping her alive… that was actually a feat in itself, considering there were many people out to kill her.

A hand gently clamping down on her shoulder suddenly snapped Suki out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the Hokage's kind old face smiling down at her.

"Congratulations, Suki. You're a citizen of the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Sarutobi smiled at her. "And you are also now the daughter of Kakashi."

It was way too much to take in at that moment.

The Hokage, this nice old man, was her new leader.

The beautiful village of Konoha was now her new home.

And Kakashi… that man who had saved her from her frightening old villagers, brought her to a safe place to be healed, had looked out for ever since he saw her stumble into his camp… was her new father.

The minute Kakashi walked out of the Hokage's office, Suki tackled him. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, crying tears of joy into his leg.

"Thank… you…" was all she was able to manage as she sobbed in gratitude.

After getting over his initial shock at her tackling him, he smiled. He leaned down so that he was eye level with her.

"Suki… stop thanking me," Kakashi said with a slight chuckle.

"B-B-But you're s-s-so n-n-nice to m-me!" Suki cried as she looked at him.

"Did you ever think that maybe you deserved it?" Kakashi asked softly. Suki faltered at his words. "You deserve all the kindness I have ever given you. And now… now you have me to always look out for you. I'll always be there, whenever you need me. I'll always protect you."

Hiruzen smiled as he watched the scene before him. He quietly slipped back into his office, leaving the two new family members to head off to home.

Kakashi gently picked Suki up so that he was carrying her; her arms wrapped around his neck, and she rested her chin on his shoulder. As the man exited the building and walked into the street, Suki couldn't help but wonder what life had in store for her now. It seemed that life was starting to look up now.

She grinned at the thought of what other surprises awaited her future. "Thank you… Daddy."

She had never thought that she would ever use that word. Yet, it sounded so nice to say it for the first time. She didn't care if she never got used to saying it. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that that word would always bring joy to her heart whenever she said it.

Kakashi, at first, hesitated at the name. He had never thought he would hear someone call him that. And yet, it sounded sort of nice to hear it. He wondered if he would ever really get used to it… All he did know was that life was already starting to brighten that black hole that he had been living in for who knows how long.

He smiled. "You're welcome, Suki."


	7. First Day at the Academy

"Suki…Suki…wake up," Kakashi whispered as he nudged his seven-year-old daughter. "Today's the day."

The raven-haired girl's eyes instantly shot open at her father's words. She threw off the covers and darted passed him into the bathroom. The silver-haired man laughed at the speed with which Suki woke up.

After a few moments, the girl emerged from the bathroom, teeth sparkling and bushy hair fully braided. She ran over to her dresser and started pulling out all her clothes. She would look at each article of clothing and then toss it aside, shaking her head.

Kakashi was watching with his eyebrow raised. When she had nearly emptied all her drawers, he decided to intervene. "Suki, can you just pick something?"

"Daddy! It's the first day of school. I have to look extra nice!" the seven-year-old said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kakashi chuckled at her. "Well, if you don't pick something soon, you're going to run out of options," he said as he left the room to go get breakfast started.

Suki frowned. "Okay…" she said in defeat. She ran back over to the discarded clothes on her bed and started picking through them. She decided to go for a pair of black pants and a white long-sleeved shirt with a picture of a bird flying on it.

Once she was fully dressed, she walked out of her room, ran down the stairs, and skipped into the kitchen. Her dad was standing by the counter, making bacon and eggs. He figured since it was Suki's first day at the Ninja Academy, he should make her favorite breakfast to put her in a good mood. Of course, judging by the way she was bouncing around, he figured she was already pretty excited.

"I take it you're excited?" Kakashi asked as he placed a plate of food on the island in the middle of the room.

Suki scrambled up onto a stool to sit at the counter. "Uh-huh!" she replied excitedly as she grabbed a fork and dug into her food.

"Do you want something to drink?" the man asked.

"Yeah," she replied as she took a bite of her omelet. When the jounin made a move toward the refrigerator, the girl quickly got up instead. "It's okay, I got it."

She bounced over to the fridge and grabbed the milk carton. Then she ran over to the dish rack by the sink and grabbed a dry glass. She poured herself some milk and then put the carton back in the refrigerator. She took a sip of her milk and sat back down to finish her breakfast.

Kakashi had watched the entire thing, and he smiled at her. Suki was pretty independent for her age. She showed her independence in little things, such as putting her clothes away, keeping her room clean, setting the dinner table, and doing her chores. And she did all these things without Kakashi asking her to. He knew it was because she had lived for the first six years of her life pretty much alone. Except for the people in charge of her old orphanage in Kagayaku, no one had been around to help her. And Kakashi didn't doubt the fact that her former foster parents might have ignored Suki as well.

"Are you gonna pick me up from school today, Daddy?" Suki asked, interrupting Kakashi's inner thoughts.

"Of course," the masked man said. "Today's your first day of school. I want to hear everything about it."

"Okay!" Suki replied elatedly.

She quickly finished her breakfast and placed the empty plate in the sink. She was about to grab a stool to bring over to wash the dishes, but her father stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take care of the dishes. You go get your stuff ready for school," he said. His daughter nodded her head and ran back upstairs to grab her things.

Kakashi started washing the dishes. As he did so, his eyes started wandering around the house. This wasn't where he used to live; he used to live in an apartment. But when he had adopted Suki, he had thought it would be more suitable for her to grow up in a real house. It was a two-story home with a basement. It was a relatively small place, but it had a warm and welcoming feel to it. The family room led to the stone patio at the back of the house, which then led into the green yard. The backyard was spacious with a single large tree in the center.

The silver-haired man smiled to himself. He had never thought his life would lead him here. He was the father of a beautiful little girl, and he had a comfortable home to live in. He was even discovering those emotions that had been long killed when he had joined ANBU. Of course, he kept them away when it came to missions; but when it came to Suki, he was always filled with true happiness.

He finished washing the dishes and headed towards the front door. "Suki, are you almost ready?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," her small voice replied from upstairs. In five seconds, she was bounding down the stairs with a backpack strapped to her shoulders. "Ready!"

"Okay, then let's hit the road," Kakashi smiled.

The two exited the house and walked out into the road. The citizens of Konoha were bustling about hurriedly. People were running about, trying to quickly complete their errands for the day. The father and daughter became mixed in with the crowd, but the little girl made sure to stick close to her dad. The streets were packed, but after turning a few corners, less and less people were around. The most crowded areas were by the restaurants and shops, and now that Kakashi and Suki were closer to the school, only other children with their parents were occupying the streets.

The giant building that was the Ninja Academy came into view, and students of all ages were running about. There were a few teachers standing around, trying to keep order amongst the mob of students and parents. The silver-haired man led his adopted daughter into the courtyard.

"It looks like that man over there is going to be your teacher," Kakashi said to Suki, pointing over to a chuunin. He was very tan, and his spiky brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. There was a scar across his nose. "Will you be alright if I leave?"

"Uh-huh," Suki nodded. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around her father's waist. "I'll see you later, Daddy."

Kakashi smiled as he bent down so he could hug his daughter back. "I'll see you after school. Have fun, okay?"

"Okay!" Suki grinned. "Bye!"

"Goodbye," Kakashi waved as he left the area to go to the ANBU headquarters.

The raven-haired girl turned around and walked over to where the children were being separated into their grade levels. Just as her father had said, she was placed in the class where the tan chuunin was the teacher. She stood off to the side with the rest of her class, waiting for instructions to head inside. But there were some tardy arrivals, so the students had to wait while the other children were assigned into classes.

Suki stood along with the other students in her class. She looked around at the other children. Some were already chatting about how excited they were for school to start. She smiled at those comments. Just like the other children, she was excited about learning to be a ninja.

A year ago, she would have never thought about being a ninja. Heck, a year ago, she wouldn't have thought that she would be living in the Leaf Village. Back then, she was still living in that orphanage in Kagayaku Village. Now she had a father, and she lived in a beautiful home in a wonderful village. Not long after Kakashi had adopted her, she had told him that she wanted to attend the Ninja Academy when she was old enough. Since her father was a ninja, she thought it was only right that she become one as well.

Suddenly, Suki was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt someone shove her. Surprised, she turned around to look at who had pushed her.

There was no one there except for the other students who were talking about random things.

Suki furrowed her eyebrows. She silently shrugged to herself and turned back around to face the school.

"Psst, hey!" a voice whispered.

Suki jumped five feet in the air. She turned around to look in the direction of the voice. There were only bushes.

"_Great… a bush is talking to me…"_ Suki thought to herself. _"Or I'm just hearing things…"_

"Is the guy gone?" the voice spoke again.

"_Well, might as well play along with it…"_ Suki thought sarcastically to herself. "Um…what guy?"

"There was a big fat man with a beard that looked like a crazy bush! Is he around?" the voice said.

Suki looked around, and there was no adult that fit that description. Shaking her head, she turned back to the talking bush. "No, I don't see him."

"Great!" the voice exclaimed happily. "I thought I would never lose him."

The bush started to move, and the girl took a step back, just in case some kind of weird creature popped out. Surprisingly, it was just a boy.

"Thanks for keeping lookout. I was afraid that that guy would pummel me if he found me," the boy said. He was wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear as he spoke.

"No problem…" Suki said cautiously as she looked at the strange boy. He had spiky blonde hair that fell in front of his cerulean eyes. He had black marks on his cheeks, resembling whiskers. He was wearing orange pants and a white T-shirt with an orange swirl on the front. "Why would he pummel you if he found you?"

"He's the baker at that bakery down the street. And…" The boy suddenly stopped smiling, and he almost looked afraid to finish his sentence.

"What?" Suki asked worriedly.

"If…If I tell you, will you promise not to tell an adult?" he asked. His voice was filled with worry and fear.

Suki was surprised at his sudden change in personality. One minute, he was smiling so much that she had been afraid that his face was stuck that way. Obviously not, considering he was now looking at her like she was going to decide his future in life.

"Sure, I promise I won't tell," Suki said as she made an X formation over her heart.

"Cool," the boy sighed in relief. "Well, I kind of… stole a donut when he wasn't looking."

Suki's eyebrows shot up. She had never known another child to steal food. She used to do it once in a while when she was starving in the orphanage. But that was because her foster parents made it a point to specifically not feed her a lot of the time. She tried to keep her stealing to a minimum, since she knew it was morally wrong in the first place.

"You stole food?" she exclaimed at the blonde.

"Shh!" he hissed as he quickly threw his hands over her mouth. After glancing around to make sure no one had heard her, he slowly brought his hands down. "Keep it down, would you? I'd rather not have the whole village knowing."

"Sorry," Suki apologized. "It's just… why would you have to steal food? And a donut for that matter?"

"Breakfast," the boy replied, as if the answer was completely obvious. "And donuts are good."

The girl stared at him as if he had just grown a second head. "So you steal food all the time, then?"

"Hey, hey, whoa, whoa," the boy said, waving his hands in front of him. "Don't think that I'm a thief, okay? I had to steal. I… I ran out of money. The Third Hokage gives me an allowance every few weeks, but… I sorta spent it all."

"Oh…" Suki said, relaxing a tiny bit. At least the boy wasn't a serial thief or anything. "Why does the Third give you money? Why not just ask your parents?"

The boy physically flinched at her words. He looked down at the ground and stared at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. The girl stared at him for a moment, and she realized that the solemn look he was wearing was definitely a look she had seen somewhere else before. She had seen it much too often.

That was the look she would wear when she was in the orphanage. That look… she had worn that look whenever she had been passed over for adoption in Kagayaku.

"I don't… my parents… they're not around…" the boy said, still looking at the ground. "I live by myself…"

"I'm… I'm really sorry…" Suki said softly, instantly feeling ashamed for making him talk about a really tough subject.

"But I don't care!" the blonde suddenly yelled, making Suki jump. "I'm doing fine on my own! I don't need anyone to look out for me!"

Suki gawked at the boy standing in front of her. She had known him for all of five minutes, and she could already see similarities between herself and him. He grew up alone, and so did she. A difference… she had Kakashi, and he still had no one. Another difference… he was brave. He put up a brave front, but she was never able to show her courage, or even fake it for that matter.

"Alright kids!" a voice said, getting all the children's attention. All the first-year students turned to see the tan chuunin standing before them. "My name is Iruka Umino, but you can call me Iruka-sensei. I'll be your teacher here at the Ninja Academy. Now let's head on inside."

Iruka-sensei turned and led the students into the building. The blonde boy was about to march into the building and join the mass of students when Suki tapped his shoulder.

"What?" the boy asked, turning to look at the girl.

Suki started nervously fidgeting with the ends of her braided hair. "Um… do you… wanna sit next to me in class?"

The boy's eyebrows rose in surprise. He was used to people running away from him. And now that he thought about it, he had never had a conversation with anyone this long. No one ever gave him the time of day. The fact that this girl was asking him to sit with her during class was something that he had never experienced before. There was a feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. It felt… nice. Maybe it was happiness? Acceptance? Friendship?

"Sure!" the boy exclaimed happily as the two walked inside to follow the rest of their class. He saw a small smile appear on the girl's face as she stopped playing with her hair in that anxious manner. "Hey, I never got your name."

"Suki… Suki Kurohoshi," the girl replied. "And you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki! Believe it!" the blonde yelled enthusiastically.

* * *

Half of the day had gone by, and Suki and Naruto were already friends. By lunchtime, they had connected in a way that other children could not. Both had childhoods that no one would be able to understand. They told each other stories of how their childhoods had been.

Naruto told Suki about how when he had turned five, he had been shoved out of the orphanage. He didn't know why; he just knew that people hated him. His foster parents couldn't stand being around him. The Third Hokage had decided to give Naruto his own apartment, and he would check up on him every now and then to give him money for food and clothes. But other than that, the blonde was forced to learn how to take care of himself. No one was around to teach him anything, so he had to do everything on his own.

And since the people of the village hated him, he was often ignored when he went out into the streets. If he wanted to buy something, the shopkeepers yelled at him to leave the store. If he wanted to play with other kids, their parents shooed him away. And sometimes, for no reason at all, he would notice people glaring at him. The looks on their faces always showed hatred, and he didn't understand why.

Suki told Naruto about how she had run away from her old village just a year ago. She had decided to leave because everyone hated her there. Her foster parents deliberately ignored her, so she was starving a lot of the time. She told him that she used to steal food as well, but she felt bad about it whenever she did. To make matters worse, she was always beaten when she did something wrong. So that's why she left.

When she ran away, a mob of villagers had chased her down, trying to bring her back. But a Leaf ninja had saved her from them. He took care of her and defended her when the time arose to decide her future. That man was now her father.

However, when Suki told Naruto all of these things, she purposefully left out the part about her being the Guardian. She didn't like to dwell on it herself and Kakashi hardly ever discussed it with her anyway. But to tell Naruto… she felt it would ruin their new friendship. She didn't want that, and she was afraid he wouldn't understand. Maybe he would become like everyone else and hate her for being the reincarnation of the man who nearly destroyed the world, unleashing the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon onto the Leaf Village.

"Wow, you ran away?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He had lived in the Leaf Village his whole life, and even though the people hated him, he had never thought about running away. "Where were you planning to go?"

Suki shrugged as she took a bite of her sandwich. "I don't know. I just… wanted to get away from those people."

"Whoa… that's brave," Naruto commented.

Suki immediately blushed. She never would have thought of herself as brave. If anyone was brave, it was Naruto. "I think you're pretty brave yourself. You're still growing up by all alone."

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle," the blonde said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

As Naruto said the words, Suki saw something in his azure eyes. There was something that she had seen many times. She had seen it in her own eyes when she looked in the mirror and asked herself why the universe seemed to hate her. That thing in Naruto's eyes… was pain and loneliness.

"Naruto… have you ever thought of running away?" Suki asked quietly.

The blonde boy turned to look at his new friend. And while he was trying to keep his face nonchalant, he looked into Suki's eyes. Her silver orbs showed only understanding of the pain that he had gone through his entire life. Looking into those eyes made Naruto realize that he was lying.

He was lying to Suki. He tried to act tough and say that these bad things that happened in his life didn't really matter. But they did, and he knew it. He tried to act fine about it, tried to brush it off, and tried to ignore everyone. But he was really only blocking out the pain he had often experienced during his earlier days of suffering. And when talking to Suki, his walls broke down. He realized that Suki was the only one who understood how he felt, and he didn't want to lie about his feelings on this subject.

"Yeah… I have thought about running away," Naruto replied as he looked down at the ground. "Many times, actually. But… I don't know. I guess it's just that a part of me can't separate from this place." He turned to look Suki in the eyes. "I don't know if it's because I'm too afraid to run away. That's why I said you were brave for running away from your village."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't run away," Suki said softly. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows at her in question. "If you did, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to your right now."

Naruto grinned foxily at her comment. "Does that mean we're friends?"

Suki smiled. "I thought we already were friends."

"Okay… so does that mean we're best friends?" Naruto asked, still grinning widely.

"Sure," Suki replied. If possible, Naruto's grin grew even wider. Suki giggled a bit.

"Alright kids, time to go back inside for class," Iruka's voice yelled out to the students.

Naruto and Suki stood up from their bench and followed the rest of the students inside the building. As they walked, the two glanced at each other. Both shared smiles as they went into the school, and Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand. Suki looked down and smiled at their joined hands. She looked back up to smile at Naruto, and as their eyes met, a connection defined by loneliness strengthened into a bond that would always keep the two together.

"I'll always be there for you, Suki," Naruto said, his voice in the most genuine tone he'd ever used.

She nodded her head. "I'll always stay by your side, Naruto. I'll always be your friend."

* * *

School was finished for the day, and the classes were dismissed. Suki and Naruto exited the building along with the other students, carrying their bags with them. Through the thick crowd of parents and children, Suki could see her father standing by a tree, leaning against it, waiting for her. Naruto, feeling uncomfortable around adults, just took a step back to signal that he was leaving.

"I'm gonna go," he said softly.

"No, wait…" Suki said, not knowing what to say next.

"It's alright, Suki. I'm just going to head home," Naruto replied.

"But…" she started again. "Do… do you wanna meet my dad?"

The blonde stiffened a bit as his sapphire eyes looked down to the ground. All adults hated him for a reason he didn't even know of. And Suki might be his best friend, but that didn't mean her dad would like him. Actually, he might tell his daughter that she wasn't able to be friends with him anymore. It had happened quite a few times in the past.

"I don't know…" Naruto replied uncertainly.

As if reading his thoughts, Suki started to assure him. She knew he needed this, to meet an adult who didn't despise him. And if her father could adopt her after knowing her for a couple days, he was bound to like Naruto. "It'll be fine. My dad is really nice."

After looking into Suki's puppy-dog eyes, Naruto couldn't say no. So he nodded his head with a small smile on his face. The raven-haired girl grinned and took his hand, leading him over to the silver-haired man.

When Kakashi's eye spotted his daughter, his eyebrow quirked at the sight of her holding hands with a boy. The boy looked awfully familiar, but he knew he had never met him before, so his mind was a little confused.

Suki and Naruto reached Kakashi, and the man placed a greeting hand on his adopted daughter's head. "How was school?"

"Good," the girl replied with a smile. She released Naruto's hand to playfully swipe her father's hand off of her head. The whiskered boy immediately felt lost once she let go of his hand, feeling uncomfortable around her and her father.

"Who is your friend, Suki?" Kakashi asked, his eye now resting on Naruto's nervous face.

"This is my best friend, Naruto Uzumaki," Suki replied.

Kakashi's eye widened a fraction, but he kept his cool when he stared at the boy. _"So it's him… the boy with the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him. He looks just like you, Minato-sensei…" _Kakashi thought, thinking about his former teacher. He turned to greet the seven-year-old. "Hello, Naruto. I am Suki's father, Kakashi Hatake. It is nice to meet you."

"It's… nice to meet you, Mr. Hatake…" Naruto replied nervously.

Kakashi smiled. "You can call me Kakashi. Mr. Hatake makes me sound really old."

"Okay," Naruto smiled a little.

"Would you like to come over and stay over for a while?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto stammered as he looked at the silver-haired jounin. No adult had ever been this nice to him. He was so surprised that he almost forgot to speak. If it hadn't been for Suki nudging him in the side, he would still be gawking at the man. "Um… okay. Thanks!"

"No problem. A friend of Suki's is always welcome," Kakashi said.

Kakashi glanced over at his daughter. She seemed really glad that he had accepted the blonde as a friend of hers. But Kakashi was just happy that Suki had been able to make a friend. And even though Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, Kakashi was more than willing to let their friendship continue. Suki was the Guardian, and he wouldn't be surprised if other parents found and made their child stay away from her.

As the trio walked away from the school, Kakashi couldn't help but think of the sad irony that was fate's hand playing with them. _"The Guardian and the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki… I suppose it is only natural that they have found a bond that brings them together."_

He looked over at the two children. They were talking and laughing the entire way to the house. He smiled softly at them. Quite a bond indeed… a connection that would forever keep the two together.


	8. Twenty Questions

"Suki! I'll race you to the swings!" the blonde boy yelled excitedly. He broke into a run, leaving his friend to smile at him.

"I'm gonna win!" Suki yelled back as she started running to chase him down. She caught up to him quickly, and as the swing set came into view, she put on a burst of speed and beat him to the nearest swing. "Yes! I told you I'd win!"

"Oh my god! How do you do that?" Naruto panted. "You were flying across that field!"

Suki shrugged. "I don't know. I've always been pretty fast."

"Yeesh… that's a little scary," Naruto smiled as he sat down in one of the swings.

Suki followed suit and sat down on the swing beside her friend. She let her silver eyes stare up at the light blue sky. It was such a lovely Saturday afternoon, and her father had allowed her to go out to the park with her best friend. It had been two weeks since the first day of school, and she and Naruto were already the best of friends. They could relate to each other in more ways than other children could.

They grew up alone, and there were certain things that kept a lot of people from taking the time to truly understand them. But the two children understood each other.

"Hey, earth to Suki!" Naruto said, waving his hand in front of the girl's face.

Suki shook her head in surprise and looked to her left to look into Naruto's cerulean eyes. "What?"

"You were staring at the sky," Naruto said pointedly.

"Oh… I didn't realize," Suki blushed lightly.

"What were you thinking about?" the blonde inquired.

The black-haired girl smiled at her best friend. "Just thinking about how you're a great friend."

Naruto grinned widely at her words. "And you're an awesome person!" Suki smiled at his words.

The boy stood up and held his hand out to her. Reaching out, she let him pull her to her feet. He took her right hand and pulled her up. By grasping her hand, he slightly pulled the black glove down a few inches. A few black markings could be seen. Suki inwardly gasped and without her friend looking, she pulled the glove back up to cover her wrist. Naruto didn't even notice anything, which she was very glad for.

She didn't want him to know about her being the Guardian. While he didn't seem like the judging type, she still didn't want anyone else to know. It was a secret that she couldn't even tell her best friend.

"Let's go for a walk," Naruto suggested, and Suki nodded her head.

The two walked through the park side by side. Children were playing on the multitude of jungle gyms and see-saws. Parents were watching intently, making sure that their children didn't injure themselves. A few woodland creatures were running about, trying to avoid the humans at all costs.

The two children walked on, conversing about random things. They then started playing Twenty Questions, asking each other random stuff.

"What color do you think the sky should be?" Naruto asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Suki laughed.

"Just answer it!" Naruto ordered with a giant grin on his face.

"Purple," Suki replied.

"Why?" Naruto laughed.

"Sometimes at night, the sky is purple. I think it's a really pretty color," Suki commented.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Naruto said, shaking his head.

"That's because you fall asleep once your head hits the pillow," Suki said.

"True," Naruto said, nodding. "Okay, your turn."

"What would you consider the ultimate prank?" Suki inquired with a sly smile.

Naruto fingered his chin in thought. Then he snapped his fingers once he got an idea. "This one's for Iruka-sensei! I would completely vandalize his desk."

"How so?" Suki asked.

"In one drawer, I would put a bunch of cockroaches. The second drawer would have frogs. And all his important documents and stuff would be in the corner of the room, where I would get a very fat cat to do his business on them," Naruto smirked.

"Wow, you're evil," Suki grinned. "Okay, your turn."

"What's under your dad's mask?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Suki asked.

"Because he's always wearing that mask! I want to know what he's hiding!" Naruto said.

"His face is under his mask," Suki said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You know what I mean, Suki," Naruto said seriously.

"Fine, fine," Suki said, shaking her head with a small smile. "He says he wears his mask because he's too handsome. He was tired of all the ladies flirting with him, so he chose to cover up his face."

Naruto stared at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "That's it? What kind of an excuse is that?"

"That's what he told me," Suki shrugged. "Okay, my turn. What's up with you and orange all the time?" Suki said, trying to suppress a smile and failing miserably.

"Orange is an awesome color!" Naruto said defensively.

"That's not a real answer," Suki countered. "I wanted to know your personal reason."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say that?" Naruto asked.

"Hey, it's not your turn to ask questions yet!" the girl laughed.

"Fine, fine," the boy replied. "I like orange… because it's a real attention-getter. You can't help but notice it."

Attention-getter… Suki understood her friend's meaning. Growing up alone brought little attention. No one was around to give any form of notice to her and Naruto. It sort of figured that he would wear an obnoxious color to get people to notice him.

"Plus, it gets people to smile," Naruto added.

"Smile?" Suki repeated confusedly.

"Yeah, look at this!" Naruto said, pointing to his short-sleeved orange jacket. "You cannot tell me that this jacket doesn't make you smile."

"It doesn't make me smile," Suki said seriously. There was no sign of humor on her face.

Naruto leaned closer and squinted as he stared into her eyes, trying to decipher her facial features. Then he smiled evilly at her. "You're lying."

Suki tried to suppress her smile. "No I'm not."

"Suki, you're a terrible liar," Naruto said, shaking his head.

The girl bit her lip, trying to hold back her giggle. But she couldn't help it, and her laugh slipped out by accident. "Okay, you caught me. Now it's your turn."

"Why do you always wear a braid?" Naruto pointed to Suki's hair, which was indeed, in a full braid that reached down past her shoulder.

"You know why," Suki said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"But I still don't understand why!" Naruto exclaimed.

"My hair is way too bushy. It looks weird. I braid it so people won't stare at it," Suki replied.

"I still don't get it," Naruto said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well, you let your hair stay all spiky and crazy like that," Suki pointed to Naruto's head. "You obviously don't care about trying to make it tame."

"Nope! And I'm proud of it!" Naruto said happily. "Your turn."

"Okay… what are your dreams for the future?" Suki asked.

"Easy!" Naruto said excitedly. "My dream is to become Hokage!"

Suki raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. "What?"

"I want to become Hokage so that people will respect me," Naruto explained in a proud tone. "You know that people don't treat me well. I want to change that by becoming an awesome shinobi and being greater than any other Hokage that has ever lived! That way, people will look up to me rather than look down on me."

Suki's eyes went wide at his explanation. She let a small smile form on her lips. "That's… that's amazing, Naruto."

"Thanks," Naruto smiled back. "Okay, my turn. I'll ask the same question. What are your dreams for the future?"

Suki shrugged as she thought about it. "I want… I want to protect those who are precious to me. Everyone who I hold dear… I want to become stronger so I can keep them safe."

Naruto smiled kindly at her. "You'll do it. You're gonna be amazingly strong, and I know you'll be a great protector."

Protector? That… that was what the Guardian was supposed to be. Did he know or something? No, he couldn't know. Suki had never told him. The girl was wondering if his words meant something bigger than what he had intended.

Suki quickly shook her head to get that thought out of her head. She turned back to look at her friend. "And you're going to be a great Hokage one day, Naruto. And I'll be right there by your side to support you."

The two smiled at each other. The sun was about to set behind the horizon, so they decided to turn around and leave the park. As the neared the exit, they decided to each give one more question.

"Cats or dogs?" Suki asked with a slight smirk.

Naruto scrunched his nose. "Neither. I don't think I'm a big animal fan."

"What?" Suki laughed. "I love animals. What don't you like about them?"

"They're just so… smelly," Naruto said.

"You do realize that some animals tend to be cleaner than humans, don't you?" Suki asked.

"The key word in that answer is 'some', Suki. Besides, I tried to pet a cat once. It ended with me running and screaming for my life with the little monster clinging to my butt," Naruto remarked.

Suki couldn't help but laugh. It was just so typical Naruto. Her friend glared at her.

"It was quite painful, I'll have you know!" Naruto shouted defensively.

"I know… I'm sorry…" Suki managed to say between her laughter. It took her a couple moments to calm herself. "Okay, you're turn to ask the last question."

"Alright… what's your favorite color?" Naruto asked.

Suki raised an eyebrow. "Why do you wanna know that?"

"Well, you know that I like orange. But I don't know what you like," Naruto explained. "Is it black or white or silver?"

"How do you pick those colors?" Suki asked in confusion.

"You're always wearing white and black. And your eyes are silver, which is a pretty neat eye color," Naruto commented. "Is your favorite color any of those?"

"No. I wear black and white just because I don't think any other color suits me very well," Suki answered. "As for silver… I don't know, it's a nice color, I guess. But… it… it reminds me too much of my old home…"

Naruto turned to his friend, and when he saw the forlorn look in her eyes, he felt a pang of sympathy. Kagayaku Village in the Land of Silver held a lot of painful memories for Suki, and he knew it. She had told him plenty of stories about her terrible life in her old home, and he had been enraged to find out that his friend had been treated so shamefully. He had offered to go and kick some butts for her, but she had smiled and told him not to.

"Okay, so no silver," Naruto said. "So what is your favorite color?"

"I guess… I guess it would be gold," Suki said. "Probably because it's the opposite of silver."

Naruto nodded. "Alright. I'll have to remember."

"Why do you have to remember?" Suki asked.

"Well, not only are you my friend, but you're also like my sister. And when a guy comes over and asks if he can date you, I'll have to tell him not to buy any silver jewelry," Naruto said with a smirk on his face.

Suki's eyebrows rose. "What? Why… How can you even say something like that?" the poor girl started blushing like crazy.

"Haha, I'm only looking out for you!" Naruto exclaimed as he dodged a smack to the arm that she tried to land on him.

"That's so… I don't even know what to call that!" Suki sputtered frantically.

"You know you'll appreciate it when the time comes," Naruto said, throwing his arm around Suki's shoulders.

"Right… sure…" Suki muttered sarcastically as she gently punched him in the abs.

Deciding to be overly dramatic, Naruto fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. "Ow! Ouch! Suki! You killed me!"

"Oh please…" Suki laughed. "Naruto, what happened to being a greater shinobi than any other Hokage that ever lived?"

Immediately, Naruto bounced up onto his feet. "I will be the greatest Hokage to ever walk this earth!"

"There's the Naruto I know," Suki smiled at her best friend.

Naruto grinned back and threw his arm back over her shoulder. The two walked toward the exit of the park. The sun was barely showing at this point. The stars were starting to litter the dark sky as the orange sun began to hide behind the tree lines. As the main road appeared, the two children turned to each other.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you live on the other side of town," Suki said.

"What's your point?"

The raven-haired girl sighed. "That's really sweet of you, but it's too much trouble."

"But it's getting dark out. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't come with you to protect you?" Naruto asked.

"You're still my best friend, Naruto," Suki said in reassurance. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." He seemed to doubt her words, but she gently nudged him in comfort. "It's really not that far to my house, Naruto. I'll be okay."

"Okay… if you're sure," Naruto said. He turned to head in the other direction and waved at her as he left. "See you later!"

"Bye, Naruto!" Suki replied. She turned around and headed back to her own home.

The sun was now completely gone, and the stars shined like glitter amongst the black blanket that was the night sky. The street lights had turned on, creating a path of light to lead Suki home. She walked in the middle of the road. She passed some shops and homes. The stores were closing, and families were gathering in their houses to have supper.

It was just about dinnertime, so Suki hoped that Kakashi was home. He was sometimes on ANBU missions that lasted days on end. When she had left earlier that day to go play with Naruto, he had said that he had a small delivery mission. He didn't mention when he'd be back; he just said soon.

Suki walked along the dark streets, humming to herself. After just a few more streets, she would be home.

* * *

"Is that her?" a voice whispered.

"Yeah, that's her," a female voice replied.

"Don't worry, Babe. We'll take care of the brat," a third voice said.

"Oh yeah…" a fourth voice added in excitement.

On top of a three story building, four figures stood in the darkness. They were peering down at the street, staring at a little girl with braided black hair.

"The last thing we need is a killer like that in this village," the first voice said. He stepped forward, looking down at the little girl with hatred. He had ocean blue hair and coal black eyes.

"Ooh, I can't wait to slice her up and throw her remains to the dogs," the fourth voice said. He revealed himself to be a scrawny man with a weasel-like appearance. He had greasy black hair and green eyes.

"We'll get rid of her before anyone ever realizes that she's gone," the third voice said. He had blonde hair and smoky gray eyes. He had a very muscular build compared to the other guys in his group. He pulled the girl over to his side to give her a long passionate kiss. When they finally pulled apart, he smirked down at her. "Hmm, I needed your touch to fuel me up."

The girl smirked back up at him. "Heh, don't you have such a way with words…" In the light, the woman's red hair gleamed in the night sky. Her nurse's outfit still clung tightly to her body.

"C'mon, let's do this already!" the weasel man hissed impatiently.

"Alright, alright," the blonde man replied. He gave his girlfriend one last kiss and then turned to his team. "Let's go."

* * *

All that could be heard was the patting of Suki's feet on the ground. She continued to hum to herself, her thoughts occupying her mind. A light breeze blew against her face, and she closed her eyes, welcoming the cool wind as it kissed her cheeks.

Suddenly, the quick sound of movement caught Suki's attention. Her eyes flew open, and her head whipped around to look around. There was nothing behind her except for the buildings she had already passed. She furrowed her eyebrows, not seeing any sudden danger, yet something was telling her that she was not safe.

*_Above,*_ a voice whispered inside her mind.

It almost sounded like her consciousness was speaking to her; this voice didn't sound familiar to her at all. But she listened to it, and her eyes looked up to the sky. Her eyes widened in fear, and she jumped to the side, landing on her stomach. A loud thud sounded as three strange men landed on the ground. Suki turned around and gawked at them all.

The three men glared down at her form. One was of average built and had blue hair and black eyes. The second one looked like a rat; he was very bony and thin. The third man towered over his teammates by a good six inches. All three of the men had a katana strapped to their belts.

Suki's mouth fell open in trepidation. The scrawny man began to chuckle. "Aw, isn't that cute?" he asked sarcastically.

The little girl stared up at the three me in fear. "W-What do you all want?"

The big bulky man smirked down at her. "We want you dead… Guardian," he whispered the last part in an eerie and evil tone.

Suki froze. They knew. They weren't supposed to know. But they knew. How had they figured it out? She had worked so hard to keep it a secret over the past year that she had lived in this village. No one was supposed to know except the Third Hokage and her father. How could they possibly…?

"How do you know?" Suki squeaked.

"Does that really matter? You're going to die anyway," the scrawny man sneered as he jumped from one foot to the other in an evilly excited manner.

"Let's just do this," the blue-haired man said impatiently.

He whipped out his sword and held it high above Suki's head. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the long gleaming blade. As the man swung down, the girl screamed loudly. Her body moved on impulse, and she jumped out of the way and scrambled to her feet. The other two men unsheathed their own swords, and the three goons circled around Suki, trapping her between them.

"Nowhere to go now, monster," the large man said as he circled around the small girl.

Suki felt as if she was growing smaller and smaller. She was so scared for her life. Back in her old home, there had been multiple attempts to take her life. But they had never been this… intimidating. Kagayaku citizens usually tried feeding her to the dogs, but animals could never hurt her. They always wanted to play with her instead. People usually threw stuff at her, but the cuts and bruises had always healed. Then there were the beatings and whippings. Those had been horrible.

But this… three men, each wielding a katana… this was new, and it was terrifying.

"Say goodbye, filthy wretch," the large man said.

Simultaneously, the three men raised their blades in the air. And moving as one, they brought their swords down. Suki closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the pain. It was over for her.

"Hey, you disgusting farts!" a loud voice shouted.

Immediately, the three men halted in their movements, and their swords stopped inches away from Suki's form.

Upon recognizing the obnoxious voice, Suki's eyes flew open. Through the men's forms that were circling around her, Suki could see spiky blonde hair and an orange jacket. The three thugs turned around to glare at the keeper of the voice.

"What the heck? It's a freaking little kid!" the scrawny man wheezed angrily.

"Hey! I'm gonna be the future Hokage! So I would watch my mouth if I were you, you rat man!" Naruto yelled back.

"What did he call me?" the weasel-looking man yelled angrily.

"You heard me!" Naruto replied back. "And I want you to stay away from my friend!"

"Oh, is that so?" the bulky man asked.

"Yeah, that's right! You big gorilla!" Naruto answered.

The large man's eye and head twitched. He glared evilly at the blonde child. "Kill the brat," he ordered.

The other two men nodded and sped toward Naruto. As they neared, the seven-year-old braced himself. The men brought their swords up, and moving quickly, Naruto did a tumble roll forward, avoiding the blades coming down on him. He ran forward, away from the two men who were now behind him. The blonde ran straight for his friend, but the gorilla man was guarding her.

Once Naruto was near enough, the man raised his blade to strike. Smirking, Naruto dodged the sword by sliding across the dirt, through the man's spread legs. The thug stared at the spot where Naruto had hit the ground, confused. It took him a few moments to realize that Naruto was now behind him. When he finally did snap out of his confusion, he turned around to see that Naruto was dragging Suki away.

The gorilla man shook his head and turned to his comrades, who were running up to him. "C'mon!" The three men took off quickly. It was time for the chase.

Naruto dragged Suki down a dark alley and brought her to hide behind a building. The two children threw their backs up against the wall to hide themselves in the darkness. Naruto peeked around the corner. There was no sign of the goons. They were safe… for the time being.

The blonde turned back to her friend. She was breathing deeply, almost hyperventilating. No, not almost. She was hyperventilating.

"Suki, calm down, alright? We're safe now," Naruto said.

"They… they almost… killed me," Suki managed to say through her quick and unsteady breathing. She turned to look into her friend's comforting blue eyes. If possible, her breathing quickened as she stared at him in fear. "They almost killed you!"

Naruto grabbed a hold of her shoulders to keep her from shivering and shaking. "Suki," he said in a firm voice, bringing her out of her mental panic. "I'm fine. You're fine. We're both fine. Now, take a deep breath."

Suki tried to obey. But when she sucked in air, it only made her hyperventilating worse. She could barely exhale due to the panic and fright building up inside of her. She tried breathing a couple of times, but they came out as sobs. Tears pricked her eyes.

"Suki!" Naruto yelled, shaking her shoulders.

The tears disappeared from her eyes as she stared at him in surprise. This was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Naruto ordered, still grasping her shoulders. "We're both here right now, so I need you to be strong. I'm here to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you. Alright?"

Suki's eyes widened at him. Then she looked down at the ground in sorrow. She was weak. She couldn't even control her feelings in a serious situation. Why not? She had been through these kinds of things in Kagayaku. This shouldn't have been new to her.

But it was. This was the first attempt on her life in Konoha. It was startling and scary. She had hoped to start over in this place. But somehow, it was almost as if she was still living in the Land of Silver.

"_No!"_ she told herself. _"This isn't like Kagayaku. You have people who care about you here. Daddy and Naruto are there for you. So I will be strong for them."_

She brought her silver eyes to look into Naruto's azure ones. Any sign of fear was no longer shown on her face. She wasn't going to let herself be the helpless little girl. She was training to be a ninja, and ninja did not panic.

Naruto smiled as he looked in Suki's determined eyes. "There we go."

Suki smiled back at her friend. She reached out to him with both arms, and he leaned to hug her. The two children clung closely to each other, relishing in the comfort that the other brought to them.

The sound of voices brought the two out of their embrace. "Let's check this area," the gorilla man's voice said. The children could hear footsteps at the front of the alley.

"Darn it," Naruto hissed. "We have to get out of here." He peeked one blue eye out to look around the corner and then quickly retreated. "That's the only exit, and they're gonna come down here soon."

Suki started looking around frantically. Indeed, there was no way of escape. They were done for.

*_Climb the ladder.*_ Suki froze. It was that voice again. That same voice who had alerted her of the goons.

"_What ladder?"_ the girl wondered. As far as her eyes could tell, there was no ladder.

A flash of gold caught Suki's eye. She quickly turned to her left and saw the blur of gold disappear as it flew quickly up the side of the building and into the night. Suki let her eyes slowly drift back down, and then she saw it. The ladder.

On the side of the building was a fire escape. The steps were pulled up, so the kids would have to try to bring them down if they wanted to escape. But at least it was something.

Suki grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him over to the fire escape. "What?" Naruto asked.

"Look," the girl said as she pointed up at the metal stairs.

Naruto's eyes widened. "How did you see that? It's too dark to see anything."

Suki bit her lip. What could she possibly say so that she didn't seem strange? She could tell the truth and say that a voice was talking to her inside her head. Nah that would be weird. She could lie and say she had really good eyesight. Yeah right; she didn't have night vision.

She shook her head. "That's not important right now. We have to get the stairs down fast!"

The blonde nodded. He quickly grabbed a garbage can and set it under the ladder. "I'll stand on this, and you can stand on my shoulders."

The raven-haired girl nodded. Naruto climbed up onto the metal can, and then he helped Suki climb onto it. Then she grasped his shoulders and pulled herself up so that she was sitting on them. She reached up to try and grab the metal ladder, but she wasn't tall enough.

"Stand," Naruto ordered.

"But…" Suki started to say. She didn't want to hurt him.

"Do it. I'm fine," Naruto said, trying to keep his balance on the trash can.

Suki nodded as she took a shaky breath. She placed her hands on his shoulders again and used them as leverage to push herself up. She gently placed her feet on his shoulders and tried to stand. Naruto was holding her ankles, trying to make sure she didn't fall. Of course, he was having a hard time keeping steady on the garbage can while supporting extra weight.

Suki held her hands to balance herself. Satisfied that she wouldn't fall, she reached up and grabbed the first metal bar on the ladder. She carefully pulled it down, but it stopped halfway. The first bar only came down Suki's chest.

"It's stuck," Suki whispered.

"Climb anyway," Naruto said.

The girl pulled herself off of her friend's shoulders and climbed up the ladder. She scrambled onto the first platform and looked down at Naruto, who was still standing on the trash can.

"C'mon," Suki encouraged.

Naruto stared up at the ladder. It was a good three feet away from his head, if not, more. But he could hear the men's voices coming down the alley, so he took a chance. He jumped off the trash can and grabbed the first metal bar. The garbage can fell backwards, and a loud metal clang echoed through the area.

"Hey, that must be them!" the blue-haired man yelled. The sound of running footsteps could be heard, coming closer and closer.

"C'mon!" Suki repeated, more frantically this time. Naruto quickly rushed up the ladder and joined Suki on the platform.

"Hey, they're up there!" the weasel man said, pointing a long skinny finger at the kids.

"Get them!" the large bulky man ordered.

Instantly, the two children continued on upwards, climbing the fire escape toward the top. The men were occupied with trying to bring the first ladder down so they could climb up as well.

Naruto and Suki made it to the top of the fire escape, and they ended up on the roof of the building. They looked around for another way to escape, but there was nowhere else to go unless they dared to jump onto the next building.

"Crap," Naruto muttered under his breath. Suki bit her lip in thought, trying to come up with an idea.

All of a sudden, a shooting pain erupted in Suki's temple. She grasped her throbbing head and involuntarily let out a moan of pain.

"Suki? Suki!" Naruto exclaimed, running over to his friend. He tried to take her hands away from her head so he could see her face, but her hands were practically glue to her head from the pain that was splitting her brain.

As the pain grew stronger, Suki's eyes flew open, and she stared at the ground. But instead of seeing the ground, she was looking at another alley. And she was looking at it from a bird's eye view. She was having some kind of… vision. It wasn't exactly a memory because she knew she had never seen that kind of view before. But the way the image was playing in her mind made her think that she had seen it before, even though she knew she hadn't. And somehow, she knew exactly where this alley was.

"Naruto, follow me," Suki said, grabbing his hand and leading him over to the edge of the roof.

"Suki… what are you planning?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Just trust me," Suki said. Still holding his hand, she took a deep breath and jumped off the roof, bringing Naruto with her.

"WWWHHHAAATTT?" Naruto screamed loudly as he and Suki fell through the air.

_Splat!_

Naruto could feel himself surrounded by something mushy. And squishy. And icky. He brought his head up to the surface of whatever he was trapped in. He looked around to find that he was in a dumpster.

Naruto instantly grimaced. "Ew…" Suki finally came to the surface, and she shook her head of the scum that was now residing in her hair. Naruto glared at her. "What is wrong with you? You could have killed us!"

Suki quirked an eyebrow. "Are you dead?"

"No, but-"

"Then you can thank me later," Suki interrupted. "Right now, I'm pretty sure those guys are coming after us."

Naruto looked up to the spot where they had jumped. Even in the dark night, he could vaguely make out figures looking down at them. "Good point. Let's go."

He dragged himself out of the filth of the dumpster and then proceeded to help his friend. Once both were out, they made a mad dash down the road. They didn't even stop to wipe the dirt and scum off of themselves; they just kept running. After a few moments, they could hear footsteps behind them. Naruto glanced back and scowled.

"They're gaining fast," he said.

She bit her lip in worry. Those guys were three grown men, and they were two small children. Naruto and she couldn't run forever, and she knew the thugs would catch up eventually. But she just kept telling her legs to move faster.

*_Suki, look up,*_ that mysterious voice whispered in her mind.

Surprised, Suki obeyed and looked up. Contrasting against the dark sky and glittering stars, a golden shadow was flying above the two running children. Upon closer inspection, Suki realized that it was a bird. A bird with gold feathers.

An instant memory came back to her as she ran, staring at the bird.

_She was running away…_

_Running for her life…_

_It started to rain…_

_The bird appeared…_

_It led her to a safe place…_

_It led her to Kakashi…_

_It led her to her new home…_

Everything started to make sense. Well, sort of. From what Suki could manage to understand, this bird was helping her. That entire time, when she had heard that mysterious voice in her head, it was this bird. It had talked to her in her mind. It had sent her the vision of the alley. It was helping her.

It was saving her again.

The bird cawed loudly, and Naruto looked up at it as well. "Hey, a bird!"

"Naruto, follow it!" Suki ordered.

Naruto nodded, and the two children changed direction as the bird flew off. The bird was flying in all different directions, but the children continued to follow it. And the men continued to follow their prey.

After so many twists and turns, the bird took another turn down an alley. The kids followed it and ran quickly down the pathway. Then Naruto and Suki skidded to a stop.

A giant wall was blocking their path.

"Crap!" Naruto shouted angrily.

Suki gawked. Her mouth hung open in confusion, and her eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. _"I thought the bird was supposed to help us! But it led us to a dead end."_

The girl turned around. The three men had finally caught up to them. And they were not happy for being led on a giant run around the village. "You brats have caused us a lot of trouble," the bulky man growled loudly.

"Yeah. You brats are gonna pay!" the rat man piped up.

"Finally… time to kill these pests," the blue-haired man scowled.

The three men unsheathed their swords. The alleyway was very narrow, so there was no way for the kids to escape without getting slashed at. And with this dead end, they were done for.

Naruto stepped in front of Suki in a protective manner. The men sneered down at him. They raised their katanas, and the children closed their eyes, waiting for the sharp blades to pierce their flesh.

It never came.

After a few moments of nothing happening, Naruto and Suki slowly opened their eyes. Then their eyes widened in surprise at what they saw.

A certain silver-haired ANBU was standing between the men and the children. His arms were crossed, and the blades of the three katanas were halted by his iron guard gloves. The ANBU member lifted his head, his fierce cat mask hiding the terrible snarl on his face.

"I don't appreciate it when people try to harm innocent children," the man growled. The three men shivered at the intensity and disgust in the ANBU man's voice.

The man in the mask suddenly pushed his arms forward, shoving the katanas backwards. Then he used a roundhouse kick to knock the swords from the men's grasps. Before the thugs could even think of how to react, the ANBU member appeared behind them all, delivering forceful blows to their necks and craniums, rendering them useless and unconscious.

Naruto and Suki stared at the scene in shock. Then Naruto grinned widely. "That was totally awesome! I've never seen something that incredible!" He ran over to stand over the three fallen men. "In your faces!" he yelled excitedly and mockingly.

The ANBU man removed his cat mask, revealing a familiar masked face. "Are you kids alright?" Kakashi asked worriedly.

"What? Kakashi?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. "That was you?"

Despite the tense situation, Kakashi smiled through his black mask. "Who else would I be?"

"Wha… But… I've never seen you so awesome before!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the boy. "That's because you've never seen me in action before."

"Can you do that again?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Sorry, Naruto. Right now, I have to bring these three thugs to the Hokage. And you two need to get home," Kakashi said. Then he looked at the two suspiciously. "Which brings me to my question… why are you two still out here? It's well past a suitable curfew for seven-year-olds."

"We might've stayed at the park a little long," Suki admitted sheepishly. "But when we left, these guys started attacking me. Naruto showed up, and we had to try and run away from them."

Kakashi nodded at Suki's explanation, and he turned his gaze back to the fallen men to glare at them. He then used a simple hand sign, and a copy of himself appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Whoa! There are two of you!" Naruto yelled excitedly as he pointed to the clone and then the original.

"My Shadow Clone will take care of these goons. I'll take you two home. Naruto, since it's late, I'll let you stay in our home for the night, if you would like," Kakashi said.

Naruto grinned excitedly. "Heck yeah! That'd be so cool!"

Kakashi smiled. "C'mon, let's head on out of here."

* * *

Once the group of three had arrived in Kakashi and Suki's home, the jounin gave the children a small and quick dinner. Afterwards, he sent the two to bed. Naruto was to stay in the guest room. Kakashi and Suki both bid him goodnight, and he smiled widely at them. He had never been to a sleepover before, and this was very exciting for him.

Once Naruto had settled, Kakashi led Suki to her own bedroom. She jumped into bed, and he tucked her in.

"You know Suki, I was very worried about you tonight," Kakashi said as he sat beside her in the bed.

"Really?" Suki asked, surprised.

"Of course. You're my daughter, and I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt," Kakashi admitted. "When you told me what happened, I was very scared about what might've happened to you."

"I'm sorry…" Suki said, feeling immensely guilty.

Kakashi smiled kindly. "It's alright. Just make sure you're careful next time. You should never wander the streets alone."

"Okay…" Suki replied.

Kakashi pulled down his black mask, revealing his face. A light scar marked his face. It ran from the left side of his collarbone all the way up across his nose. He leaned down and kissed Suki on the forehead. Then he covered his face back up.

His daughter giggled. "You know, Naruto and I were playing Twenty Questions today. He asked me what was under your mask."

Kakashi smiled. "And what did you say?"

"I said what you told me to. That all the ladies find you attractive, so you have to hide your face from them," Suki laughed.

"Good," Kakashi grinned. "Let's just let that rumor keep spreading, alright?"

"Okay," Suki smiled.

Her father stood up to leave when he remembered something. "Hey Suki, since Naruto is staying across the hall… don't let him in here," he said seriously.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Daddy… I'm seven."

"I don't care how old you are," Kakashi said in a serious tone, though Suki could see the smile through his mask. "As long as you live in my home, no boy is ever allowed to be in a bedroom with you."

"Okay, Daddy," Suki snickered. Kakashi nodded at her and then headed to the door. Then she realized something. "Hey… Daddy?"

"Yes?" he said, turning to stare at her from the doorway.

"How… how did you find me and Naruto before?" Suki asked.

Kakashi quirked his eyebrow at her. Then he smiled kindly at her. "A little gold birdie told me." Suki's eyes went wide. Still smiling, he turned the light off. "Goodnight, Suki."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

As he left, Suki started to wonder about what her father had just said. A gold bird… It was that same bird that had saved her in Kagayaku and tonight.

Suki smiled to herself. Tomorrow, she would have to remember to tell Naruto that another reason why gold was her favorite color was because it had saved her life two times already.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kakashi was in his room, preparing for bed. As he sat down on the comforter, a sudden flash of visions and memories overcame him. His Shadow Clone had released himself. As the flood of memories came to him, Kakashi nodded.

The Hokage was now informed of everything that had happened that night. And the Third wanted to discuss things further with Kakashi the following day.

Kakashi removed his ANBU uniform and went to bed. As he lay in his bed, he couldn't help but think of everything that had happened that night. Yes, certain things had to be discussed with the Hokage.


	9. The Meeting

The next morning, Kakashi woke Naruto and Suki up early. He had to meet with the Hokage again, and he wanted to make sure that the two children were aware when he left.

The two kids were eating a bowl of cereal when the ANBU picked up his stuff. "I have to head out to see the Third. Will you two be alright while I'm gone?"

"Yes, Daddy," Suki replied politely.

"Don't you worry one bit, Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed with a thumbs up.

Kakashi smiled. "Just make sure you don't get into trouble again. I should be back around lunch, so don't go too far away. Naruto, if you would like, you can come back for lunch."

"Sweet! Thanks, Kakashi!" Naruto said happily.

"You're welcome. Well, I'll be back. See you later," Kakashi said. He held up a peace sign, and in a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Naruto's eyes widened at the departure of the silver-haired man. Then he turned to stare at his best friend, eyes still as big as saucers. "Your dad is so cool."

Suki snickered. "Thanks… I guess."

She picked up her empty cereal bowl and went over to the sink to wash it. Once Naruto was done and his dish was washed, the two kids left the house to go play. This time, the two made it a point to stay together. They hadn't discussed where they were going, but their feet ended up leading them to the park. They didn't really feel like running around, so they just let their feet lead the way. The two ended up walking alongside the border that separated the dense forest from the open meadow.

Naruto was chattering about some kind of prank that he was thinking of playing on the mean cat lady who lived next door to his own apartment. He was complaining about how the cat was always findings its way into his apartment and stealing all his instant ramen cups. What a cat would want with his instant ramen, he didn't know. All Naruto cared about was that the cat was messing with the food of the gods, and the blonde couldn't have that.

Suki was trying to talk Naruto out of doing something he would regret. While she loved Naruto's determination, she didn't want to see him get in trouble.

"You like animals. That's why you're so against me pulling a prank on the evil cat lady," Naruto grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"I just don't want you to get in trouble," Suki said.

"Yeah, well, I can-"

Naruto was cut off by another voice. Someone, off in the distance, was shouting. The two children looked at each other quizzically and then ran off in the direction of the voice.

After a few moments of running, the shouting came louder. Fortunately, it didn't sound like screams of pain or anything. But the person did sound rather distressed.

The two children looked around for a few seconds, searching for the source of the distraught voice. Finally, a boy that seemed the same age as Naruto and Suki could be seen looking through bushes and behind trees, almost as if he lost something. The boy had brown hair, tan skin, and red fang-like tattoos on his cheeks. He could pass for a very fierce-looking child, if it wasn't for the troubled look on his face.

"Are you alright?" Suki asked in concern, stepping up to the boy. Naruto followed her and walked up to the boy.

The brown-haired child, frazzled, looked up, just noticing that the two were there. "No, I'm not alright! I lost someone!"

"What? You lost someone? Who?" Naruto asked frantically.

"My dog!" the boy yelled, grasping his head as if he was going to pull his hair out at any moment.

Naruto sweat-dropped. "You lost… your dog…"

"Yes! And my mom and my sister are totally going to flip if they find out!" the frantic boy yelled, starting to pull his hair out now.

"Don't worry! Don't worry! We'll help you look for him," Suki volunteered reassuringly.

"We will?" Naruto questioned, turning to his friend. Suki turned to the blonde, her face donning a small pout, and her silver eyes peered up at him with his face tilted downward. Naruto groaned at the puppy-dog eyes Suki was giving him. "Fine…"

Suki's face quickly changed into a bright smile. "Thanks, Naruto!" She turned back to the hysterical boy. "What's your dog's name?"

"Akamaru."

Suki nodded and proceeded to call the pup's name, Naruto doing the same. After some hollering, Suki stopped and turned to look at the boy. "I think I've seen you before. Are you in our ninja class?"

"Uh… yeah, with Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah! Sorry, we didn't properly introduce ourselves. I'm Suki Kurohoshi."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Believe it!"

"Kiba Inuzuka," the boy replied with a grin that showed his growing canines. After the quick introductions, the three kids went back to searching for the lost dog.

* * *

The silver-haired ANBU member stood tall in the center of the Third Hokage's office. The old man raised an eyebrow as he waited for the man in the mask to speak. "Lord Hokage… there are pressing matters that need to be addressed pertaining to last night's events."

"Indeed. The three men involved in the attack will be sent to prison. I will allow you to decide how long they deserve to be in jail," the Third said.

"If it is up to me, then I wish for them to be thrown in a cell to rot until death for trying to harm my daughter and Naruto," Kakashi said, clenching his fist. He desperately tried to keep control of his voice and his emotions, but the anger and disgust could distinctly be heard.

The Hokage nodded. "I understand."

"However," the ANBU interrupted, "there is something else that needs to be discussed."

"Alright. Proceed, Tiger," Sarutobi said, using Kakashi's ANBU nickname.

The ANBU took a deep breath before he spoke. "That attack was not an accident. Those men must have known that Suki was the Guardian. She said they were after her first. They knew who they were attacking, which is what frightens me. No one should have known about Suki's identity except for her, me, and you. And I know that Suki makes it a point to make sure no one sees her tattoo."

Hiruzen nodded. "I see your point. I will have Inoichi Yamanaka conduct a mind probe to see where they found out."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said, bowing his head.

"Is that all?" the Third inquired.

The silver-haired shinobi hesitated for a moment. He sighed and took out a piece of folded paper from his pouch. He silently handed the Hokage the paper. Sarutobi proceeded to read over the form, and his eyes widened in surprise as he continued to read word after word. The Hokage finally finished reading the page, and he looked up just in time to see the ninja removing his tiger mask.

"You're resigning from ANBU?" Sarutobi asked in surprise.

Kakashi looked down at the porcelain mask he held in his hand. He had accomplished a lot in his ANBU years. He had joined at the age of sixteen, right after Rin died. And in five years of ANBU service, he had become well-known among the Five Great Shinobi Nations. He had copied over a thousand techniques, and his statistics in different strengths had greatly increased. He had killed his emotions, but he wasn't a complete zombie after he adopted Suki. And after adopting his daughter, he thought he could manage his family and ninja life without there being any difficulties.

How wrong he was. After what had happened the previous night, so many scenarios had entered Kakashi's head.

What if he was forced to go on a mission that lasted well over a reasonable amount of time?

What if he missed important dates, like birthdays and celebrations?

What if he was never around to keep Suki the company she needed?

What if he died?

In his beginning years of ANBU, none of these questions had mattered. He had been alone at the time. But he had Suki now, and her needs needed to be accounted for. Kakashi could never give up being a shinobi; it was his life. But at least if he was a normal jounin, he would have more leeway than being an ANBU member.

Kakashi lifted his head to stare at the Hokage, and he placed his tiger mask on the desk. "Last night, one of the first things that went through my mind after I recounted everything that had happened was… what if I hadn't made it home in time? I almost didn't. It was sheer luck that I was close enough to rescue Suki and Naruto. I think that ANBU is taking too much time away from Suki, and that's not fair to her. She needs a parent, and I think that if I was a regular jounin, it would benefit her more."

"I see…" Sarutobi mumbled. "And there is nothing that can change your mind?"

"I doubt it," Kakashi replied.

The Hokage sighed as he signed the resignation form. "Alright. Starting tomorrow, you're a regular jounin." Then, a sudden idea sprung up into Hokage' mind, and he smiled. "How do you feel about being a sensei to a team of three genin?"

Kakashi smiled through his cloth mask. "When I find a suitable team, I'm in."

"Haha, good to hear. You are dismissed, Kakashi," Sarutobi said, still smiling.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said. Then he turned and left the room and soon exited the building.

* * *

"Akamaru! Come here, boy!" Suki called, cupping her hands to her mouth for better sound projection.

"Hey! Akamaru!" Naruto yelled as he searched through bushes along the tree line.

"This is not good!" Kiba exclaimed worriedly. "I can't believe I lost him! What kind of dog ninja am I? I can't even keep track of my own dog!"

"How did you go about losing him anyway?" Suki asked, turning to the Inuzuka.

"Well, he peed on me, and-"

"Ew, is that what that smell is?" Naruto interrupted, his face contorting into one of disgust. He and Suki looked at Kiba, and then they noticed a wet spot on his black shirt that they hadn't taken the time to notice before.

Kiba glared at the blonde. "Anyway, after he peed on me, I sort of yelled at him… and then he ran off."

"Wow… you'd make a terrible dog ninja," Naruto said seriously.

"Shut up! You have no right to talk!" Kiba yelled angrily. It was one thing for himself to say it. But to have someone else throw it in his face hurt a lot.

"Well, what kind of dog ninja gets his dog to hate him?" Naruto countered, his voice rising.

"It… I…" Kiba stammered with a frown, which was very uncharacteristically of him. Then he hung his head in shame. "You're right… I'm a disgrace to the Inuzuka clan… We're supposed to be close to our dogs… but I can't even go a day without yelling at my own… I only just got him yesterday, and already, he's missing…"

"You just got Akamaru yesterday?" Suki asked.

"Yeah… my mom and sister gave him to me so I could start learning teamwork with him," Kiba said, his voice dripping with sorrow.

"Well, then it's not your fault!" the girl of the group exclaimed with a small smile. The brown-haired boy looked at her like she was crazy, and the blonde had his eyebrows raised with his mouth open a little bit.

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"You only got Akamaru yesterday, so you two haven't had time to become close friends. Just because he ran away doesn't mean he completely hates you. You two just need to spend more time together so you can become close," Suki explained.

"You think so?" the distraught boy asked, hope filling him.

"Yeah," Suki smiled encouragingly. "And I have complete faith that you two will eventually become the greatest ninja and hound pair there ever was."

Kiba stared at her for a moment, letting her words sink in. Then he gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Suki." She smiled back.

Naruto inwardly smiled as he looked at Suki. She really knew how to connect with people. And she could really make people feel better about themselves. It was a trait of hers that the blonde admired. Even with a past like hers, where people only shared hate and scorn towards her, Suki was just so… friendly. She was so genuine and kind, and Naruto couldn't help but feel happy whenever he looked at her. It was one of those things that made the blond love her like a sister.

"Alrighty then!" Naruto exclaimed. He raised his fist up in the air, trying to ignite determination in the others. "Let's go find that dog!"

Kiba stared at Naruto in surprise. Just moments before, the whiskered boy had been yelling at him for losing Akamaru. Now he was encouraging them with so much enthusiasm that it almost gave Kiba whiplash. Naruto was a very… unpredictable person, Kiba concluded.

"Yeah, let's go," the dog boy grinned. The three children ran off into the woods, in search of the little white puppy.

* * *

Kakashi walked through the village streets. After his meeting with the Hokage, he planned on meeting with someone else. First, the jounin would have to find him.

As the silver-haired man walked through the crowded streets, he suddenly felt an unexpected presence. Even amongst the mass of villagers, Kakashi could feel the company of the one he was looking for. The jounin made a quick detour, jumping up onto a roof, and making his way out of the city and into the training grounds. He could feel the aura of the other following him closely.

Kakashi arrived at an empty training area. Three wooden posts stood in the center of the field, and a river was running gently a little distance away. Trees surrounded both sides of the meadow. But Kakashi paid none of these things any mind. When he arrived at the field, he made a beeline straight to the stone memorial that was resting by the tree line. The silver-haired man stared at the names carved into the stone, his eyes finally resting on a specific name.

"_Obito…" _

The jounin felt the other presence finally arrive at the grounds. Kakashi turned around to see…

A little gold birdie.

The brown hawk with golden feathers was standing atop one of the three wooden posts. Its black beady eyes stared at the jounin intently.

"I'm glad you're here," Kakashi said.

The bird cocked its head at the man.

"I know who you are. There is no need to keep secrets," Kakashi added. "In fact, I've been looking for you so I could find some answers."

_*I see… You are a smart man, Kakashi Hatake* _a deep and serious voice echoed in the jounin's mind.

Kakashi was a little taken aback by the voice talking in his head, but he kept his cool as he spoke. "And you are Suki's guide animal. Let me just ask… how long have you been protecting her?"

_*I have kept watch over her since she was born*_ the bird's voice said in Kakashi's mind. _*But I have only gotten involved during dire situations. One year ago, when Suki ran from Kagayaku, she found you because I led her to you.*_

"Really?" Kakashi inquired.

_*Yes*_ the bird replied. _*And as you are aware, I helped her during the chase that occurred last night.*_

"Right. You also led her and Naruto to me. Then you informed me of the situation and brought me to them," the man added. His thoughts lingered back to last night, when he had seen the gold bird.

~Flashback~

The stars lingered in the pitch black sky. The wind was cool yet calm as the village sat in quiet tranquility. A man in a tiger mask slowly made his way down the dirt path, toward his home. Normally, he would be running along rooftops or teleporting himself to his house. But tonight seemed like a peaceful night, and Kakashi didn't want to spoil it.

"_Hmm… I should probably hurry up, though. Suki might be a little worried,"_ Kakashi thought to himself.

After thinking it over, he decided to poof himself home so he would get to his destination sooner. But just before he could make the hand sign that would send him home, he heard a loud screeching noise.

Kakashi hesitated. _"That sounds like…"_ He looked up into the night sky to see, _"…a bird?"_

Indeed, a brown hawk with gold feathers was flying above Kakashi's head. Having never seen a bird like that in Konoha, Kakashi instinctively placed his hand near his kunai pouch, ready to draw a knife if necessary.

As he suspiciously stared at the bird, the silver-haired ANBU suddenly felt a pounding feeling in his temples. Kakashi grasped his head in surprise, and his eyes closed in pain. But he forced his eyes open to keep himself aware, in case of an attack.

Kakashi took a step back in shock and astonishment when he realized that his vision wasn't showing what was supposed to be there. He was supposed to see the dirt path on which he stood and the houses of the sleeping villagers.

But instead, he was seeing a bird's eye view of an alley. In that alley, three men with swords were cornering two small children, one boy and one girl. Kakashi gasped when he realized he was seeing a vision of Suki and Naruto. And from the looks of it, they were in trouble.

As quickly as it had come, the vision disappeared, and Kakashi could see his surroundings again. The silver-haired man furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he glanced up at the gold bird. Then the hawk turned around, heading off into a different direction. Suspicious and worried, Kakashi followed it.

The bird led him to an alley where a wall was blocking the entrance on his end. It was then that Kakashi heard a dark voice.

"Finally… time to kill these pests."

Kakashi didn't even think at that moment, he just moved. He quickly jumped over the wall and landed swiftly in front of the two children. He brought his arms up into an X formation in front of himself just as three swords came crashing down on his iron guard gloves.

He felt the presence of Suki and Naruto standing behind him, and it was at that moment that he felt very grateful for not being in too much of a hurry to get home.

~End Flashback~

Kakashi shook his head slightly as he focused on the current situation. This bird was his daughter's - the Guardian's - animal guide. He had learned a few things about the Guardian and his/her animal guide from readings. A Guardian couldn't really become the Guardian without a little help from the animal guide. The animal acted almost as a teacher.

"Suki and Naruto wouldn't be alive without you. So I thank you," Kakashi said, bowing gratefully, not even caring that he was showing respect to a bird.

_*It is my job to protect the Guardian*_ the bird said.

"I also have other matters I want to discuss with you," the man said.

_*You want to know when it is suitable for Suki to start training to become the Guardian*_ the bird stated simply, almost as if he was reading Kakashi's mind.

"Yes. I figured she would have to learn eventually," Kakashi said. "Unfortunately, I feel as if she is trying to deny that she is the Guardian. I understand her feelings, considering all of the hate that she has endured."

_*She is not allowed to refuse*_ the bird said in Kakashi's mind. _*If she neglects to take hold of her destiny, the world will be in the same chaos that was around when Gekido was alive.*_

"I see…" Kakashi sighed.

_*There is a prophecy written for each Guardian,*_ the bird said. _*And it always comes true, no matter what. Suki will be the Guardian, whether she wants to or not. But if her confidence in herself is weak, then there is no hope. Her will must be strong, and I am entrusting you, as her father, to help her in that requirement.*_

"You don't have to worry about me," Kakashi said, a slight smile showing through his black mask. "As for you, I think it would be best for Suki to learn about her Guardian duties soon. She needs to understand her position as the Guardian, and I think she needs to hear it from you."

*I agree. Considering the threats that are occurring, she'll need to learn about her place as the Guardian.*

"When is a suitable time?" Kakashi asked.

The bird cocked its head in thought. Then it said to Kakashi, *Tomorrow.* The silver-haired man nodded. *Until then, Kakashi.* And with a sweep of its wings, the bird flew off into the sky.

Kakashi watched the bird fly away until he could no longer be seen. Then the man sighed to himself. From here on, things were changing, Kakashi could feel it.

* * *

"Akamaru! Here, boy! Come on!" Suki yelled as she stepped over a tree root.

"Hey, Akamaru! Where are you?" Kiba shouted.

"Akamaru! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Naruto yelled.

The three were now getting deeper and deeper into the woods, and there was still no sign of the lost pup. Kiba was getting frantic again, but Naruto and Suki were able to keep up his determination.

"Maybe he found his way back into the village," Suki suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Kiba said a bit sadly.

"Let's go check," Naruto said.

The three headed back the way they had come, towards the giant field. As they walked, Kiba heard a rustling of leaves coming from his right. He quickly turned in the direction, both fear and hope filling him. What if it was an attacker? Or what if it was Akamaru?

Naruto and Suki noticed the rustling as well, and they turned to look as well. The rustling came closer, and the three children tensed.

It wasn't an attacker who emerged from the bushes. And it wasn't a small puppy either. It was a girl with short indigo-black hair and pale eyes with no pupils. She was wearing a light blue button up shirt and navy blue pants.

When she saw the three other kids, she gave a nervous smile. "H-H-Hello…" she stuttered.

"Hi," Suki smiled back. "You scared us a little bit just then."

The girl blushed. "I-I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry," she stammered nervously.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I wasn't scared anyway. Nothing can scare me!" Naruto said with a big grin. If possible, the girl's blush became even redder.

"Hey, have you by chance seen a dog around here?" Kiba asked. "He's a small white puppy."

"U-Uh, well actually…" the girl started anxiously. Another rustling sound could be heard again, and the group of kids turned around to see the bush moving. "I-I-I h-have," the girl finished.

From the bush, a small creature appeared. He had squinty black eyes and floppy ears. His tail wagged excitedly as he looked at all the humans staring down at him.

"Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed excitedly.

He held his arms out for the dog to jump up to him. But Akamaru didn't move. The three other kids were surprised at the pup's behavior, and they awkwardly moved backwards. Kiba frowned sadly. He knelt down to the ground so he was closer to Akamaru's face. The dog backed up a little.

"Akamaru…" Kiba started sadly. When he saw the scared look in his dog's face, he felt a wave of guilt and hurt wash over him. It was not a fun feeling. "Akamaru, I am so sorry for yelling at you. I am the worst master ever. I guess I shouldn't blame you for being afraid."

A small whimper sounded from the pup's throat, and Kiba only felt worse.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," the brown-haired boy said. "I was really mean. But… I really want to be friends with you. I think we could be awesome together. We could be an amazing team together, if you want…" he added, saying what Suki had said before.

Akamaru stopped backing away. He looked into Kiba's sincere eyes, and he took a hesitant step forward.

"What do you say, Akamaru?" Kiba said, letting a hopeful smile grace his lips. He opened his arms again. "You wanna rock this village like the power pair that I think we could be?"

The puppy smiled, as much as a pup can smile at least. He yipped happily and leaped into his master's arms. He licked Kiba's face excitedly, tickling the boy to the point where he fell to the ground on his back. And Kiba laughed the entire time. The three other kids joined in his laughter, happy to see Kiba and Akamaru reunited. The boy stood up, letting the white puppy rest on the top of his head.

Kiba turned to the new girl. "Thanks a lot for keeping Akamaru safe."

"N-N-No p-p-problem," the girl stuttered in embarrassment.

"That was really nice of you," Suki added. "I'm Suki Kurohoshi. What's your name?"

"H-H-Hinata H-H-Hyuuga," the girl said.

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka. And you've already met Akamaru," Kiba said, pointing to himself and then the ball of fluff on top of his head.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Future Hokage! Believe it!" the blonde said, giving a thumbs-up sign.

"Hokage? Pfft, yeah right," Kiba snickered.

"You better watch yourself, Kiba!" Naruto yelled.

"Wait a minute, Hinata Hyuuga?" Suki asked, turning to the other girl of the group. "You're in our homeroom class at the Ninja Academy, right?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata replied.

"Oh, sorry we didn't recognize you before," Suki apologized. "Hey! Maybe you and Kiba and Akamaru can hang out with Naruto and me at school!"

"Yeah! That'd be awesome!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Cool!" Kiba exclaimed, accepting the offer.

"Um… um… s-sure," Hinata said, managing a small smile.

"Right on!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist into the air in excitement. "Hey, let's start now! To the park!"

Naruto led the way, running out of the woods and toward the playground. The others laughed at his enthusiasm. But they all followed nonetheless, running to catch up with him. The four spent the rest of their morning playing, talking, and joking around.

Naruto and Suki were happy to make new friends. While they were very close, they enjoyed the extra company. Kiba and Akamaru were exceptionally wild, and they got along very well with Naruto's exciting personality. The puppy also tended to enjoy sitting with Suki, and Kiba didn't really understand. But he let it slide considering Suki was now a friend. Hinata was surprised that people were accepting her as a friend. Since she had very low self-confidence, she didn't expect others to want to hang out with her. But the three other children were very accepting, and she was grateful.

After hours of playing, the four kids were lounging under a shady oak tree. Suki and Hinata had their backs against the trunk of the tree. Kiba was lying on his back with his hands behind his head. Naruto was also on his back, but he looked more passed out than anything. Akamaru was lounging in Suki's lap, enjoying the rhythm of her petting.

"It's almost lunchtime. I think I have to go home," Kiba said finally. He slowly stood up from his spot on the ground. "C'mon, Akamaru." The white pup grudgingly got off of Suki's lap and hopped up onto Kiba's head. "It was cool meeting you all. Thanks for helping me to find Akamaru. Especially you, Hinata; thanks for keeping him safe."

"Y-You're w-welcome, Kiba," Hinata blushed at his kind words.

"I'll see you all tomorrow!" Kiba said, walking away and waving at them.

"Don't lose Akamaru again!" Naruto shouted after the other boy.

"Shut up!" Kiba turned, yelling at the blonde. They all laughed at his anger and waved at him as he left.

"I-I-I have to g-go, t-t-too," Hinata stuttered, standing up.

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow, Hinata!" Suki smiled.

"Yeah, see you!" Naruto said enthusiastically. The girl blushed at the blonde's foxy grin and walked away after giving a small wave.

"C'mon, my dad should be home now. We can go have lunch," Suki said.

"Alright," Naruto nodded, following his best friend out of the park.

What the girl with the circular tattoo on her wrist didn't know was that someone, in that oak tree where she had just been sitting under, was watching her. A hint of gold flashed as a winged creature took off into the sky.


	10. Stop And Stare

**Yay! Another song title!**

**Stop And Stare by OneRepublic**

* * *

Kakashi would never admit it to anyone, but at that moment, he was nervous. His normally cool yet alert exterior was there, but on the inside, he couldn't have been more anxious.

It was the day after he had retired from ANBU to rejoin the jounin rankings. He enjoyed the comfort of his old green Leaf vest; it brought back a few sentimental feelings.

The ex-ANBU member was inside the Interrogation Office, the Third Hokage standing beside him. A few feet ahead of the pair, Ibiki Morino, the Head of Interrogation, was standing in the center of the room. His frightening appearance and cold attitude sent off waves of intimidation, both scaring the living daylights out of the others in the room as well as earning complete respect from his underlings and superior.

Strapped to three separate chairs were the three men who had attacked Naruto and Suki. They were wide awake, but the death glares that Ibiki was sending them had them cowering in their seats. Kakashi mentally thanked Ibiki for being the one to scare the three thugs. If the silver-haired ninja had been standing any closer to the men who tried to harm his daughter, he would probably have killed them by now. He was disgusted with the fact that they wanted to harm a little seven-year-old, yet they couldn't face their punishment with the terrifying interrogator.

The sound of a metal door opening awoke Kakashi from his thoughts. Everyone in the room turned around to see Inoichi Yamanaka walking inside the room. He strolled right into the room, bowing to the other ninja in respect.

"Good, you are here, Inoichi," Hiruzen said. He gestured towards the three chained men in the chairs, but his eyes stayed locked on the blonde man's. "I wish for you to probe the minds of these men."

Inoichi nodded. "What precisely am I looking for, Lord Hokage?"

Sarutobi hesitated, not wanting to give away Suki's secret. It wasn't his place. The old man glanced up at the masked jounin beside him. Kakashi seemed deep in thought. In his mind, the silver-haired man was contemplating how to exactly say that Suki was the Guardian. It was a huge secret that he wasn't sure he wanted to be released.

But as Kakashi glanced around the room, the only other people who would know of this secret were Ibiki and Inoichi, and they were trustworthy shinobi. Besides the three horrible men that Kakashi wanted thrown in a jail cell, there were only fellow shinobi. The ex-ANBU member decided to take his chances and tell the secret. It was for Suki's benefit that the interrogator and the mind reader know of Suki's identity in order to fully punish the three goons.

"I want you to find out how they uncovered Suki Kurohoshi's identity as the new Guardian," Kakashi said aloud, his onyx eye staring straight at the Yamanaka.

Despite his professional and calm attitude, Inoichi couldn't help the shock that appeared on his face. His eyebrows, even though only slightly, rose in surprise, and his mouth fell open just a tad. Even though Inoichi tried to hide these small displays of bewilderment, Kakashi and the Hokage could still see the astonishment in his features.

_"Kakashi's daughter is the Guardian?"_ Inoichi thought, confusion still evident on his face.

The Yamanaka had seen the girl at the Academy on a few occasions, when he had dropped off and picked up his own daughter, Ino. Suki seemed nothing like her former incarnation. She was a good little kid with a kind heart; that much was noticeable.

Inoichi shook his head of these thoughts piling into his head. He hadn't known Suki was the Guardian before, and he had already deemed her a nice girl. He wouldn't let this new thought change his judgment now.

While the blonde ninja was having an internal battle, Ibiki remained his normal stiff self. Yes, he was shocked at this new bit of information, but he lived up to his fierce name as a frightening interrogator, and he would not let some bit of gossip ruin his emotionless mask.

"Well then, let's get started with this," Ibiki interrupted.

Awakened from his thoughts, Inoichi nodded his head. "Right."

The mind-reading ninja walked over to stand behind the three chairs, all placed in a line side by side. The large man, the leader, was placed in the middle; the man with the dark blue hair sat on his right while the weasel man sat on his left.

Inoichi summoned his chakra into his brain, and then he allowed the energy to flow down into his right hand. This stream of energy and chakra would help the connection between minds flow better. He let his hand fall on crown of the gang leader's head, and the thug instantly fell unconscious. The blue-haired man and the scrawny man stared at their leader in shock, both surprised and scared to see their leader fall under consciousness so easily.

_"Hidden Technique: Mind Reader Jutsu!"_

Instantaneously, a montage of memories flooded from the goon's mind, gushing right into the Yamanaka's own mind. Inoichi quickly sorted through the plethora of visions, trying to locate the one he needed. The memories went in reverse, flashing backwards from the present to the past.

He saw the leader and his partners sitting in a jail cell.

He saw Kakashi quickly and effortlessly take out the gang.

He saw the wild hunt for Naruto and Suki.

Then he saw a red-haired woman with shining green eyes lean over to kiss the leader on the lips. Inoichi stopped in his quick search through visions. By delving into the man's mind, the blond ninja could feel that the redheaded woman had something to do with the discovery of Suki's identity. The Yamanaka instantly made a detour in the criminal's mind, searching for information on the girl.

After what felt like hours but was truly only a few moments, Inoichi finally found what he was looking for. He slowly opened his eyes and removed his hand from the prisoner's head, his form returning back to the interrogation room, the three members of the gang seated before him and his fellow shinobi awaiting his conclusion from across the room.

"So, Inoichi? What have you discovered?" Sarutobi asked, removing the pipe from his mouth to speak clearly.

Inoichi's light blue eyes glanced over at Kakashi. "Are you familiar with a red-haired woman who works as a nurse at the Konoha Hospital?"

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed slightly, not quite understanding the meaning of the question. Then, his memory suddenly kicked in, and he remembered first returning to Konoha with Suki just a year ago. They had gone straight to the hospital, and it had been a red-haired nurse who had helped to treat Suki back to health.

The silver-haired shinobi sighed out of slight frustration. He had heard the woman talking about Suki being just like Gekido, and he had done nothing to halt her opinions. At the time, Kakashi had just thought it useless to try and convince a stranger that Suki was as innocent as any other six-year-old; humans were creatures of habit who rarely ever bothered to accept something or someone who was deemed an outcast.

Suki had been deemed an outcast the moment she was born.

Now, at this moment, Kakashi wished had done something at the time. He didn't think it would get out of hand like it had. The woman had sent this gang to kill his daughter; he should have done something the moment he heard the nurse mention the name 'Gekido'.

"She had these three go after Suki, didn't she?" Kakashi asked. It was said as a question, but his tone showed that he already knew the answer.

"Yes. The leader is actually the lover of the nurse," Inoichi commented.

Kakashi slightly flinched, although he knew he probably should have put two and two together. It figured that a heartless nurse and a merciless goon who tried to harm a little seven-year-old would be together.

"Inoichi, why did the nurse wait so long to send her boyfriend and his gang after Suki?" Ibiki asked. "If I'm correct, Suki has lived in this village for at least a year now…" he glanced at Kakashi in confirmation. The masked ninja nodded his head in verification.

"He and the nurse did not start seeing each other until around six months after Suki arrived," Inoichi said. "If you wanted my opinion, I wouldn't be surprised if she was using him just to get rid of Kakashi's daughter."

"We could always just probe the lackeys for more information," Ibiki said. His cold beady eyes suddenly turned towards the two remaining members of the small gang, and his icy stare made them shiver in their seats.

"That is true. However, we found what we wanted," the Hokage said, closing his eyes.

He was very disappointed in the citizens of his village, as he greatly disagreed with the intentional harm of a child for something they had no control over. It was one of the reasons why he had Naruto in an apartment close to the Hokage Tower, so he could keep an eye on him.

"Lord Hokage…" Kakashi said, turning to look at his village leader. He bowed in respect as he attempted to put his thoughts into words. "May I have permission to…"

"Yes," the Hokage said, granting permission to the unfinished question. "It is important that we find that nurse before she attempts another attack or reveals Suki's secret to the entire village. Kakashi, I want you to find her, and bring her to my office."

The silver-haired man nodded, and in a poof of smoke, he was gone.

The elderly man sighed. He removed his large red and white hat with his right hand, rubbing his temples with the other hand. The smoke of his pipe slowly floated up towards the ceiling of the room with his breath he took, evaporating into the air just before it touched the stone wall above.

"Now we have another serious matter to deal with…" Sarutobi said, placing his headdress back atop his head.

Inoichi and Ibiki nodded. With the help of a few chuunin who entered the room, the interrogator proceeded to remove the three thugs out of the room and back into the prison cells. The Third Hokage motioned for one chuunin to come over to receive a different assignment.

"Yes, Lord Hokage?" the chuunin asked.

"I need you to bring Sasuke Uchiha to my office. You will probably find him at the Ninja Academy," the Hokage said.

"Yes, my Lord," the younger ninja nodded. He quickly left the room and headed toward the ninja school.

"Inoichi, I think it might also be a good idea to have you there as well," the Third said, glancing at the blonde ninja from the corner of his eye.

"You really think it would be necessary for me to probe his mind?" the Yamanaka asked, slightly tilting his head in bewilderment.

"Well, I highly doubt it will be easy for the young Uchiha to explain what exactly happened last night. I predict he will most likely be too quiet to say anything about his clan's massacre," the Hokage said.

The elderly man turned towards the door to head back to his office, Inoichi following close behind. 

* * *

"WHOO! IT'S LUNCHTIME, FINALLY!" a loud shout of joy echoed through the room as a blonde blur raced out of the classroom and out into the courtyard.

"Yeesh, I don't think I've ever seen someone run so fast," Kiba said as he removed his hands from his ears. He, like almost everyone else in the class, had covered his ears to block out the sudden outburst that Naruto had let out when Iruka announced it was time for lunch. Poor Akamaru had his paws on top of his head as he sat on Kiba's lap.

"Well, it's Monday. It's really the only thing that makes him happy on Mondays," Suki laughed.

"W-Well, we s-should probably g-go join h-him," Hinata stuttered as her fingers slowly fidgeted.

"Right! Let's go!" Kiba said, bounding out of his seat, Akamaru close on his heels. The boy grabbed his lunch bag out of the cubby holders and darted towards the yard.

Suki giggled as his form disappeared outside the door. "Well, we should go too. C'mon, Hinata."

The two girls stood up from their own seats and retrieved their lunches. The followed the other students out into the courtyard, where tables and benches were placed here and there for students to relax and eat.

However, Naruto and Kiba had saved spots under the large tree in the center of the yard. Suki and Hinata headed straight over and sat down under the shade of the oak tree. Akamaru plopped himself right on Suki's lap, and Kiba scowled a bit. The other three children laughed at the poor expression on his face.

"What the heck? How come he likes you so much more than me?" Kiba pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aw, don't worry, Kiba. Akamaru loves you more, trust me," Suki smiled.

"Aw, poor Kiba. Your own puppy likes Suki more than you. Maybe she should be the Inuzuka instead of you," Naruto teased, his grin stretching across his face with taunting.

"Shut up, Naruto," Kiba snarled. He quickly grabbed the remains of Naruto's sandwich and stuffed it back into the blonde's mouth. Naruto's eyes bugged out of his sockets in surprise, making the others laugh.

"What the heck, Kiba? I'll make you pay for that!" the whiskered boy choked out as he tried to swallow his lunch.

"H-Here, N-N-Naruto," Hinata stammered as she handed her water bottle to the suffocating child. "Y-You can h-have my w-water."

The blue-eyed kid quickly snatched the bottle of unopened water and chugged all of its contents, easing the path of food into his stomach. After he was done, he leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

"Ah, thanks a lot, Hinata! You're a lifesaver!" Naruto said, grinning widely.

The Hyuuga blushed madly, and she would have fainted from the sudden heat in her face had it not been for Kiba nudging her in the ribs and Suki patting her on the back. Naruto remained oblivious to it all.

Akamaru yipped suddenly from his perch on Suki's lap, catching the attention of the four kids. "What's wrong, buddy?" Kiba asked.

The small white puppy leaped from of his napping place and turned toward a certain direction. The four children looked up to see Akamaru staring at the gates of the school. A chuunin was entering through the wooden gate. The ninja glanced at all of the kids before making his way over to Iruka-sensei.

"I wonder what that ninja is doing here…" Suki said as she watched the stranger talk with their teacher.

"Beats me…" Naruto shrugged, whipping out a candy bar from his bagged lunch and taking a huge chomp out of it after unwrapping it.

"Dude, you're so unhealthy. What kind of ninja are you going to be?" Kiba said, shaking his head at the sight before him.

Naruto glared at the brown-haired boy, chocolate coating his chin and whiskered cheeks. "We went over this! I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"

"Whatever you say…" Kiba replied, shaking his head doubtfully.

"Hey, guys," Suki interrupted. The three kids looked over at her, and she softly pointed in the direction of the chuunin. "Look."

They followed her gaze to see the chuunin leaving the school, Sasuke Uchiha following behind.

"So? Maybe the 'amazing Sasuke Uchiha' is finally getting in trouble for once," Naruto muttered, glaring daggers at the Uchiha's back until he was out of sight.

"Ha! You're just jealous of him because he embarrassed you in front of the class this morning," Kiba snickered.

"Hey! That question was not fair anyway!" Naruto argued, his blue eyes turning to glare at his friend.

"So you seriously don't know the difference between genjutsu and ninjutsu?" Kiba asked, his smile widening as he was slowly becoming the victor in the teasing challenge.

Naruto slightly blushed. "I was under pressure being put on the spot!" he said, trying to put up a defense. "But anyways… why is Uchiha leaving?" he said, changing the subject back to Sasuke and away from himself.

"M-Maybe it h-has s-something to d-do with w-what happened l-last n-night," Hinata said.

"What happened last night?" Naruto asked, his curiosity peaking at the mention of potential gossip on his arch rival. His blue eyes stared into Hinata's pale ones expectantly, and his gaze made her blush once again. Her stutter worsened under his eyes.

"W-W-Well… uh… um… y-y-you s-see…"

"You seriously don't know what happened?" Kiba interrupted, saving Hinata from possibly fainting this time. "Do you live under a rock or something?" he continued, staring incredulously at the blonde.

"Wait, I don't know what happened either…" Suki said.

"The entire Uchiha clan was killed last night," the Inuzuka whispered in a low voice, not wanting to start a whole conversation with the rest of the class about this particular bit of information. This sort of news was sure to arouse a class discussion and a possible scolding from Iruka about minding one's own business.

"What?" Naruto and Suki screamed at the same time.

"SHH!" Kiba shushed, glancing around to see if Iruka had heard them. Luckily, the teacher was busy elsewhere. He turned back to his friends, nodding his head. "Yeah, rumor has it that it was Sasuke's older brother… Itachi, I think my mom called him."

"S-S-Sasuke is the o-only one l-left of the Uchiha, o-other than h-his brother," Hinata said quietly.

Naruto's mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to form words for the first few moments. "Wow… that's… that's…"

"Awful…" Suki finished for him.

The blonde nodded, his blue eyes downcast. "Yeah, that's the word…"

"Alright, kids! Lunch is over! Head on back inside for class!" Iruka's voice shouted out over the courtyard.

All the students picked themselves up and headed back towards the building for more learning. The four kids seated under the oak tree stood up and followed the rest of their class, more depressed than they had been coming out to lunch. 

* * *

Kakashi walked into the Konoha Hospital, focused on one thing and one thing only. Finding that red-haired nurse.

He entered the building, the smell of sterilized supplies and various medicines reaching his covered nose. His one onyx eye glanced around. There were quite a few people in the waiting room. It didn't look as though there were any fatal emergencies, just appointments. There were a few nurses and doctors walking down a hallway ahead, talking about some type of operation.

Then he saw her.

She was at the reception desk, talking to a man about his appointment. Kakashi walked up to the desk, standing behind the man in line.

After another few moments of talking, the man walked away, and Kakashi turned to look the redheaded woman in the eyes.

"Hello, what can I…" she trailed off as she recognized the shinobi before her. Her green eyes hardened as she looked at him. "What do you want?"

"I'm sure you know why I'm here," Kakashi said, wishing he could glare back. But seeing as the woman was glaring daggers at him, he figured someone had to be the mature party.

"I'm not sure I do," the woman replied curtly.

_"Ah, so she's going to play that game…"_ Kakashi thought to himself. "Well, the Hokage wishes to see you. He wants to talk to you about your boyfriend."

The nurse scowled at him. The jounin inwardly sighed at her. At this moment, he couldn't help but spot the contrast in her expression as she glared at him. A year ago, when he had entered the hospital with Suki that first time, the nurse had practically skipped over to him, enthusiasm beaming off of her. Now, he could see the killing intent in her green eyes. Despite her attempt to take his daughter's life, he was saddened by the fact that this was how the woman had decided to react upon discovering that his daughter was the Guardian.

"You're the reason he's going to be sentenced to life in prison!" she hissed at the ninja.

"If you want to sit here and point fingers, fine by me. But I hope you realize you got yourself into this mess by revealing Suki's secret to others," Kakashi said.

"Oh? It's all about the secret, eh? This village shouldn't be kept in the dark about something like that thing in our village!" the woman shrieked. She had shot up from her seat so she could be somewhat eye level with the man across the desk from her. Her screaming was catching the attention of many of the patients and her coworkers.

"That thing is my daughter, and I prefer you treat her with respect, especially when you're dealing with me," Kakashi growled, his eye squinting dangerously. "I suggest you follow me to the Hokage Tower now, Miss."

"Oh, is the Hokage going to punish me for revealing her little secret?" the woman sneered. Nearly everyone in the waiting room and the nearby doctors and nurses were listening in on the argument at the reception desk. "Well, how about now, huh? Suki Kurohoshi is the new Guardian, and she's here in the Leaf Village!"

Kakashi's eye widened, but he did not move. No matter how much he felt it was necessary, he could not and would not attack a defenseless civilian. He closed his eye sadly as the sound of murmurs and whispers reached his ears. The nurse standing before him was a lunatic with a grudge, and she had just revealed one of the biggest secrets of the village to an entire roomful of gossipy villagers.

"Are you ready now?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to hide the edge in his voice.

The nurse smirked triumphantly at him. "Sure."

The silver-haired jounin turned away and headed for the exit. He ignored the hushed tones of the others in the room. He ignored the stares he received as he walked by. He ignored the growing glowers that were now forming as realization finally hit.

The Guardian was in the Leaf Village. 

* * *

The sun was beginning to set slowly behind the horizon. School had been let out a few hours ago, and many students had gone to the park for fun. A certain group of four children and a puppy were hanging out on the playground.

"C'mon, Suki! Climb up with us!" Naruto yelled from the top of the jungle gym.

"Yeah, come on! Don't be chicken!" Kiba grinned as he joined the blonde at the very top. Akamaru was seated directly on Kiba's head. Hinata was close behind the two boys as she took a seat on the bars, looking down at her best girl friend.

Suki bit her bottom lip nervously. "I… I can't. I'm afraid of heights…"

"What? Come on, it's not even that high!" Kiba laughed.

"Um…" Suki looked behind her toward the trees, where the sun was slowly disappearing. "Actually, I have to get home. It's getting late."

The other three looked at the sun, and the boys sighed in unison. "Yeah, we should go…" Kiba said.

"W-We can w-walk each o-other home…" Hinata said nervously as she glanced at her friends.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Suki said, a little too quickly. She covered her mouth softly, embarrassed at her quick reply and display of nervousness.

The three climbed down from the jungle gym and landed beside Suki. Naruto placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder, and his blue eyes looked into her silver ones. "It's alright, Suki." She looked up at him, and she smiled at his encouragement.

Naruto and Suki had already told Kiba and Hinata about the encounter only two nights before. After that, the kids had made a silent agreement to stick together. The idea of being there for each other in thick situations had helped to strengthen their friendship.

The four kids and the white puppy walked out of the park, walking on a path that stretched beside a lake. The orange sun disappearing behind the water made the blue water glow a beautiful red and orange.

"Hey, Suki? Your dad is Kakashi Hatake, right?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, why?" the girl replied, looking over at the boy.

"He's a legendary ANBU member! Do you think he knew Itachi Uchiha?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"I don't know. My dad was never allowed to talk about that stuff when he was off duty, or at least not with me," Suki replied.

"H-How come y-you both h-have d-different last n-names?" Hinata asked.

"Oh yeah! Duh, I never even noticed that!" Naruto exclaimed, lightly bonking his forehead with his right hand. "He adopted you, how come you didn't change your last name?"

"Well, my dad thought it was important that I keep my normal last name. He said something about how it defines who I am," Suki said.

Unbeknownst to her friends, that topic had been mentioned during the discussion between Kakashi and Suki when talking about her identity as the Guardian. Her father had said that keeping her last name would make Suki her own person. At the time, the six-year-old did not completely understand, but she accepted it.

"G-Guys, look," Hinata said, pointing down the hill, toward the water.

Everyone followed her finger and looked down the hill to see a small pier atop the water. And sitting on the pier was Sasuke Uchiha, his back turned toward the group of kids.

"Gotta feel bad for the guy…" Kiba whispered. The group nodded.

Even though he was a ways down the hill, Sasuke could sense people standing behind him. He turned his head around and glanced at his classmates. They slightly stiffened under his onyx gaze. But Naruto quickly snapped out of it and glared right back, and blue eyes clashed with black orbs.

Sasuke scowled at Naruto, and Naruto glowered at Sasuke. Then, in unison, the two boys quickly looked away from each other. The raven-haired boy turned to look back at the water, and the blonde stomped off, beckoning his friends to come along.

Kiba slightly snickered at the growing rivalry between the two other guys, and Hinata softly smiled at the behavior between the two. Owner and puppy quickly chased after Naruto, and the Hyuuga scurried after them, not too far behind.

Suki, however, continued to stare at Sasuke. Her silver eyes tried to scrutinize Sasuke's thoughts and feelings, and even though he didn't show it, Suki could see his loneliness in the way he held himself. He was hunched over, trying to block the world from view; the raven-haired girl knew that position all too well.

Without thinking, Suki descended down the hill and walked down the pier toward the boy. Before he could even look at her and scold her to go away, she was already seated beside him, her legs dangling off the edge of the dock. Her friends had stopped when they realized that she was not following them, and Naruto nearly had a hissy fit when he saw her sitting beside the Uchiha. It took all of Kiba's strength to keep Naruto from yelling and running down there to start a fight that he would surely lose.

"Hi, I'm Suki Kurohoshi. You're Sasuke Uchiha, right?" she greeted with a bright smile, slightly leaning over to catch a glimpse of his expression.

In his hunched position, Sasuke's onyx orbs quickly shot to the corner of his eyes, glaring at her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, I just thought you might want to talk," Suki said, concern lacing her voice.

"I don't want to talk, and I certainly don't want to talk to you," Sasuke said, fully turning to face her.

Suki flinched under his harsh gaze and cold words. "It's just… I know you must feel lonely… If you want to talk to someone…"

Sasuke scoffed. "What? Do you think I really need to talk to a fangirl? I don't need your pity, alright?" he scolded.

Suki closed her eyes, turning her head away from him. "I'm sorry to make you angry… But if you want to talk to someone, you can talk to me…"

She stood up and walked back up the pier, glancing back out of the corner of her eye. She sighed sadly as she ascended up the hill towards her friends. When she saw the sympathetic looks in her friends' eyes, she gave them a small smile.

"Y-You t-tried your b-best, Suki," Hinata said, lightly patting her shoulder.

"Yeah, you can't save them all," Kiba said, shaking his head as he stared at Sasuke's solitary figure.

"He's not worth it anyway," Naruto said as he glared at the Uchiha's back, hoping to burn holes into his head for yelling at his best friend.

Suki shrugged sadly. "Let's go. It's getting dark…" The others nodded and headed back down the path towards the village. 

* * *

Suki walked into her home after separating from her friends. All the lights were on, which meant her father was home as well. She darted through the household in search of Kakashi, and she finally found him in the family room. He was lying on the sofa, his eye staring up at the ceiling. He was still dressed in his ninja gear, meaning he had just gotten home.

The little girl ran up to him and jumped onto his gut, not even noticing that he was almost on his way into dreamland. That ended when her small form suddenly pushed down on his stomach, and he awoke with a start. But as he glanced up, he smiled down at his daughter, and she grinned back.

"Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?" Kakashi asked.

"It was okay…" Suki said, trailing off slightly.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. Obviously, something happened, she just didn't want to share. He supposed it was only fair; he had yet to tell his own daughter that a certain visitor was coming today. Speaking of which…

"Suki, how about you go get changed into something more comfortable. I have someone I want you to meet," Kakashi said.

"Okay!" Suki exclaimed excitedly. She quickly dashed out of the room and up the stairs to change her clothes.

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood up from his position on the couch and walked to the backdoor. He slid the glass door open and walked out on the wooden porch and into the green yard. Through the darkening sky, he could see the flash of gold that he had been waiting for.

He held his arm out, and almost instantly, the brown and gold hawk landed on his upper arm. _*It's time, Kakashi.*_

The silver-haired man sighed. "I know."

The ninja turned and walked back into the house, carrying the bird along with him. Kakashi closed the door behind him, and the gold-feathered bird gently flew off his arm and landed softly on the arm of a chair.

It was at that moment that Suki came bounding into the room dressed in a black T-shirt and white shorts. "I'm back! Who is here to…" Suki started, but at the sight of the hawk standing on one of the chairs, she halted in her tracks.

Recognition struck her as she realized that the bird standing so majestically in her family room was the same bird that had saved her life twice already.

"It's you!" Suki smiled as she skipped over to the bird. She began to pet the hawk's head, mesmerized to be so close to her hero.

"Suki… we need to talk…" Kakashi said nervously.

"About what, Daddy?" Suki asked, not even looking at him as she stared at the bird's beautiful feathery coat. She sat herself down on the same chair as the bird, still petting his golden feathers.

_*Suki, my name is Kinmaru. I am your animal guide, since you are the Guardian.*_

Suki blanched at the deep voice echoing in her head. She stared at the bird in shock, wondering and hoping that that voice had been a part of her imagination. She glanced at her father, and judging by the look in his eye, he had heard the voice as well. Only he appeared used to it.

Her entire body shivering in fear, Suki stood up from her spot on the chair. Her silver eyes stared fearfully into the hawk's gold and black orbs. Her arm shakily rose, and her finger unsteadily pointed at the bird.

"You just… You just talked… inside my head…" she managed to say. The fear as well as the confusion was evident in her voice. Her breathing suddenly picked up; the sound of her hyperventilating suddenly filled the room.

Kakashi's hand fell down on her shoulder reassuringly, although it caused Suki to jump a few inches into the air. "Suki… Don't be afraid of him. He has helped you before, and he is here to help you again."

"How did you do that?" Suki exclaimed, still backing away from the bird.

"Suki, you should have heard his voice before already," Kakashi said. He knelt down so that he was eye level with his daughter. "There is no need to be afraid."

The little girl halted in her attempts to get away from the hawk staring straight at her. Her father was right. She had heard that deep voice before. Two nights ago, in fact.

And that voice had saved her from those men who had tried to take her life as well as Naruto's.

Suki's silver eyes looked up once more to meet the beautiful black pupils and golden rims. She took a hesitant yet confident step forward. "Thank you… for saving me… twice already."

The bird nodded its brown feathered head. _*I have always been around to watch over you, Suki.*_

The girl nodded her head in understanding. She let a small smile spread on her face.

"Honey…" Kakashi started nervously as he looked at his adopted daughter uncertainly. "Kinmaru… isn't just here for you to thank him."

Suki cocked her head to the side in innocent misunderstanding as she stared at her father. "What do you mean?" She looked back at the bird, and she tilted her head the other. Then her eyes widened, and she smiled at the thought that entered her head. "Oh! Did you want some food? I can give you some bread!"

"No, Suki, that's not…" Kakashi interrupted anxiously as he rubbed the back of his head in uncertainty. He looked over at Kinmaru for help, but the hawk looked as if he was sighing in sadness, his golden eyes closed.

"Oh! Do you want to live here, is that it?" Suki asked excitedly. Her smile beamed brightly at the thought of having a new pet.

_*Suki,*_ Kinmaru's deep voice said in Suki's mind.

Kakashi sighed sadly, as he had heard the voice too. The shinobi knew what was coming.

_*I am here, as your animal guide, to help you reach your chosen destiny as the Guardian,*_ the hawk said telepathically.

Suki's smile slowly fell, and it pained Kakashi to see the sudden change from happiness to fear in his little girl's face. He placed his hand on her shoulder again. "Suki…"

"No…" she said, stepping away from her father's hand and moving further away from the bird. "I won't… I can't… I don't want to be the Guardian!" she screamed, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

_*Suki… This isn't something you can just deny. It is your destiny to be the next Guardian,*_ Kinmaru said, his golden eyes watching her every movement.

"No! I won't! It'll ruin everything!" Suki screamed. She quickly turned away and tried to run out of the room, tears streaming down her face.

Kakashi quickly wrapped his arm around her small form, preventing her from leaving. "Suki, wait!"

"No! If I become the Guardian, everyone will hate me!" the little girl screamed as she struggled in his arms.

That's what had happened back in Kagayaku. Everyone in her former village had known about the secret except her. That was why she never understood why everyone had treated her so badly. But now she was in the Leaf Village, and it was such a big village, and hardly anyone knew about her identity.

Those men who had attacked her and Naruto somehow knew, but from what she had heard from her father, they were going to be in jail. That meant, once again, that only she, Kakashi, and the Hokage would know about her deepest secret. And she wanted to keep it that way. If she didn't accept her duty as the Guardian, no one would ever know she had been the sacred protector in the first place.

Suki shook her head viciously at the idea of becoming the Guardian. "No! I won't do it! My friends won't like me anymore!"

"They won't have to know," Kakashi said quietly, trying to ease his daughter's frantic behavior.

After what had happened that day, everyone in the village was sure to have heard the news by now. Once that nurse had announced it to the whole hospital, news and gossip would spread fast through the town. The shinobi was sure that all the adults would know, but most likely, they wouldn't tell their children. Parents might tell their young ones to stay away from Suki, but at least the children wouldn't _actually_ know that she was the Guardian.

Kakashi sighed as he closed his eyes in disappointment. That might also mean that Suki would lose her friendships with Kiba and Hinata. Since Naruto had no parents, he would most likely still be good friends with his daughter. The Inuzuka and Hyuuga clans might not allow such friendships to exist anymore. The four kids had only been friends for two days, and it slightly pained Kakashi to know that those friendships might end so suddenly.

"How do you know?" Suki cried, still struggling. "What if they find out?"

"Then… if they stick by you, then you'll know that they are true friends," Kakashi said. Suki stopped fighting her father instantly at those words. Her eyes slowly lowered in doubt, but she calmed down enough that Kakashi trusted her stay still as he let her go.

"But… everyone will still be mean to me when they find out," Suki said, shaking her head in denial of her duty. "I can't do it. I don't want everyone to know."

Her tears had ceased, but the sad frown was still plastered on her face. She quickly tried to run away again, but Kakashi grasped her wrist before she could even take one step toward the exit. "Suki… everyone already knows…"

She froze in place. She slowly turned to look at her father's masked face. His eye was looking at the floor sadly, wishing with all his might that his statement wasn't true. But it was. By now, her secret was probably being talked about in hushed tones, and the Hokage was certainly receiving complaints by now.

"You… You told?" Suki asked, hurt evident all over her face.

"No… but those men who attacked you… the person who told them, announced it out loud…"

Suki bit her lip, and new tears fell down her cheeks to land on the rug she stood on. Her identity was out, and her secret was revealed. Her peaceful life in this village was over.

"What… What do I do now…?" Suki asked almost inaudibly.

_*Suki, as your animal guide, I have helped you conquer your insecurities. That is my duty. I am here to help you grow stronger and reach your destiny,*_ Kinmaru said, his eyes gazing at the girl's small face.

"What do you mean insecurities?" Suki asked, her tear-filled eyes confusedly looking at the bird.

_*You're afraid of heights, aren't you?*_ Kinmaru asked. Suki nodded hesitantly, not sure where this change of topic was headed. _*Do you remember that night two days ago? When you jumped off the building and into the dumpster?*_

Suki's eyes widened. The bird had sent her a vision of the dumpster seated at the bottom of the building that she and Naruto had been standing on. And without even bothering to think it over, she had grabbed Naruto's hand and jumped off the building and into the dumpster.

The little girl gasped. Now that she was actually remembering the actual memory, she realized that that moment had been terrifying, and yet she hadn't even noticed it at the time. At any other time, if she had been standing on that roof and looked down into that dumpster, she would have panicked.

"You… You…" Suki said, realization dawning on her as she looked at the hawk.

_*Gave you the courage to make the leap to safety,*_ Kinmaru finished for her. _*Not only have I led you to safety through difficult encounters, I have been encouraging you and helping you all this time.*_

"And now, Suki… Kinmaru wants to help you become stronger so…" Kakashi began.

"I can become the Guardian…" Suki finished. She closed her eyes to stop the flow of tears, and she lowered her head in sadness.

"Yes…" Kakashi nodded.

"And what if I don't want to be the Guardian," Suki said defiantly.

Kakashi glanced at the bird. If Kinmaru said something like, 'You don't have a choice,' the ninja knew that it would only prove to be more difficult to get Suki to agree. Placing pressure on her like that would only drive her away further.

However, what Kinmaru said surprised both humans. Cocking his head to the side, the hawk said, _*I thought you wished to protect those who were close to you.*_

Suki's eyes widened. "How… How do you know that?"

_*As your animal guide, my soul is, to put it simply, your other half. We are psychically connected.*_

Suki tilted her head slightly as she looked at the floor. It was so much to take in. Just a few hours ago, she had been playing with her friends, not a care in the world. Now she was home only to find that there was no way out of being the Guardian. She had hoped that maybe if she denied it long enough, it just wouldn't be true. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

_*Suki, I know what you are thinking,*_ Kinmaru said in her mind. _*I cannot force you to be the Guardian. No one can. If you do not accept it willingly, your true Guardian powers will never be unlocked.*_

Suki inwardly smiled. So all she had to do was say no one more time, right. She was about to do just that when Kinmaru interrupted her.

_*But if you want to accomplish your dream of protecting those who are precious to you… Becoming the Guardian can help you reach your dream.*_

Suki frowned, and then she sighed. "But… I don't think I can take care of the world, too. That's too much…"

_*That is why I am here. I am here to help you gain strength so you can reach your dream and protect the world. The world needs to realize that the Guardian is a savior, not a savage. And you can do that, Suki,*_ Kinmaru said.

"So… you're pretty much going to be my teacher?" the raven-haired girl asked skeptically.

_*Well…*_ Kinmaru flapped his wings lightly and gently took wing. He landed across the room, right on Suki's left shoulder. She slightly jumped at the close proximity, but once she realized that he was not that heavy, she gently smiled. _*I would also be there for you, as a friend.*_

Suki breathed deeply, trying to soak it all in. It was all a little overwhelming. And she had tried so hard to avoid the Guardian topic, and now it was knocking on her front door, practically barging in on her. The main question now was…

Would she let it stay or would she kick it out?

Her first instinct told her to deny her job as the Guardian, that way she could live a normal life. More than anything, she wanted to be accepted and have friends and be happy in her home.

But if what her father said was true, the village knew she was the Guardian now. Her secret was out, and the villagers were probably plotting her destruction at that moment.

That thought suddenly brought painful memories back. Konoha would most likely end up just like Kagayaku, attempting to hurt her, yell at her, and try to kill her.

Kakashi placed his hand on her shoulder, and through his mask, he kissed her on the top of the head. "No matter what happens, Suki… I'll be here to protect you. You are my daughter, and I'll always protect you."

It was almost as if he had read her mind, but Suki didn't care. She leaned in to embrace her dad.

With her father's arms around her and her hero seated on her shoulder, Suki knew she had to come up with an answer.

Kinmaru was right in reminding her of her dream. She wanted to protect those who she loved, to protect them from pain that she had experienced back in Kagayaku. That's what she wanted.

Suki removed herself from her father's hug, and she looked into the gold and black eyes of her animal guide.

"Okay… I'll do it," she said. Her voice was quiet, but her tone was confident.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, he felt a sense of fatherly pride flow through him. He was proud of his daughter, not because she had accepted her role as the Guardian, but because she had done it to protect others.

_"I see a bit of you in her, Obito…"_ Kakashi thought, an image of his childhood comrade and friend flittering in his mind. _"Thank you for teaching me something so important so can teach Suki and those who are the future of Konoha…"_

Kinmaru nodded his head. _*Alright then. Your training starts tomorrow.*_

* * *

**Next chapter, expect another timeskip :D We will be fast forwarding to graduation time ;)**


	11. For the First Time

**Wow! Thanks for all the support, guys! I love seeing how much you guys enjoy this story! Special thanks to Jennku for taking the time to review each and every chapter! You're so awesome! **

**Read on and enjoy!**

**For the First Time by The Script**

* * *

_The ground split open into fissures as earthquakes shook the land. The tall trees of majestic forests drowned as rivers and oceans rose high above sea level. Lightning rained from the sky with full force, destroying everything it struck. Hurricanes and tornadoes picked up with the storms, easily ripping apart the fragile homes. Fire seemed to rise from the heat of the earth's core, devouring the villages and their people. _

_The elements turned against those who worshipped them. Civilians and shinobi alike were engulfed in the growing destruction as the earth seemed to fall apart with each growing disaster that appeared. _

_At the head of one mountain, four faces looked out over what was once the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The stone carvings of the Hokage seemed to sadly watch their village drown in destruction. _

_However, one man stood at the very tip of the mountain. Dressed in black and dark red robes, a figure looked out over the fallen village. A smile spread across his sadistic face as his black eyes turned to rest on the crumpled heap of a defeated woman before him. His right hand emerged from the thick robes, and directly below the palm, a black circular tattoo glowed blinding white as its full power continued to activate. _

_The mysterious figure shouted at the top of his lungs, yelling one specific order to his now reluctant follower. A red dragon with stretched fierce wings descended from the sky, forlornly landing on the mountain to stand behind his maniac partner. _

_With another shout of an order from his now proclaimed master, the dragon hesitantly raised its scaly arm. With one swipe of its long arm, its claw punctured a hole in the dimension, and a black hole appeared as a result. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream._

_From the mysterious black rift in the space, two ferocious blood red eyes opened. A loud roar, louder than all of the other disasters combined, echoed over the land. Pulling itself from its now destroyed confines of the Jinchuuriki, a massive demon emerged from the black hole. _

_The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon slammed its giant claws on the earth, and its tails swung ferociously as it continued to roar with victory at its release._

_The man, the Guardian, smiled maliciously at the success of his power. Gekido let loose a triumphant laugh to mix with the roars of the demon. _

* * *

Silver eyes shot open in a panic. The girl flung her body into a sitting position, and her head considerably slumped forward. Her chest heaved deeply, almost as if she had just rescued herself from drowning in a riptide. Her face was wet with sweat. She lifted her shaking hands to wipe her face, but it was then that she realized that her dream did not only cause her to sweat.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks to land on her sheets.

_*Suki?*_ Kinmaru thought out to his partner as he stared at the twelve-year-old with worried golden eyes.

The telepathic message to the girl was unheard.

"Suki? Suki!" a voice yelled from down the hallway.

Silver hair clashed with the darkness in the room. The man flipped a switch, and the bright light of the lamp flooded the room, chasing the shadows away. But the fear still remained, and Suki's body began to shake with uncontrollable sobs.

Kakashi's unmasked face looked down at his daughter worriedly. The scar leading from the left side of his collarbone reached all the way until it reached the bridge of his nose, and the mark crinkled with worry as he moved to sit on the bed with his adopted child.

The jounin reached a strong arm out to bring the crying girl closer to him, and he let her sob into his chest. "Shh… It's okay, Suki. I heard you scream; what happened?" he asked as his calloused hand gently rubbed her arm up and down.

The girl tried to stifle her sobs to create some type of clarification to explain her current state, but her hyperventilating only worsened when she opened her mouth. Her father encouragingly stroked his daughter's messy hair and shivering body, patiently waiting for the moment when she could speak clearly.

"T-The… d-dreams are… g-getting… w-w-worse!" Suki sobbed loudly as she pressed her now red and puffy face into her father's shoulder.

Kakashi slightly stiffened, but he continued to comfort her nonetheless. He hated seeing his twelve-year-old daughter like this. Most of all, he hated asking her to think about it. "What happened in the dream?"

"I-I… s-saw the… L-Leaf V-Village… b-being destroyed!" Suki exclaimed in fear.

The silver-haired man forlornly looked at his daughter, wishing he could help her. But he knew there was nothing that he could do except be there to comfort her. He glanced up at the gold-feathered bird resting on its perch just beside the bed.

The hawk was staring at the Guardian out of the corner of his black and gold eyes. After five years of living with the bird, Kakashi was easily able to read his expressions.

At that moment, Kinmaru's beady eyes and slightly slumped head showed how sad and ashamed he felt.

Five years ago, Kinmaru flew into Suki's life to talk her into accepting her destiny. And when she accepted, she had unknowingly accepted strenuous training and unwanted visions.

Aside from training at the Ninja Academy, the animal guide had been teaching her about the history of the Guardian and the various usages and significances of the twelve animals. Suki hadn't minded any of this; in fact, she felt herself growing stronger. She welcomed that, as she wanted to protect her friends and family.

Unfortunately, once the training began, so did the visions. Or rather, the memories.

Suki was one of the thousands of reincarnations of the old monk who created the zodiac. And as a result of her training, memories from her past lives began descending upon her. What was worse, the majority of the recollections revolved around her former incarnation.

Suki's sobs continued, and Kinmaru turned his head away.

Kakashi sighed. As much as he wanted, and he was sure Suki wanted to as well, to dislike the bird for putting his daughter through so much pain, he just couldn't. Despite all this pain and horror, Kinmaru was family. Suki had grown so attached to him, and Kakashi had even taken a liking to him.

Kinmaru, however, couldn't stop the guilt that flooded through him. Neither Suki nor Kakashi had ever blamed him for bringing about these nasty dreams. But it was blatantly obvious that he was at fault. When he came to train her as the Guardian, the memories appeared.

All he could do now was comfort her, just as Kakashi was doing. But after five years, the dreams were worsening.

After a few more moments, Suki slowly drew her face from her father's comforting arms. She wiped at her puffy eyes and sighed sadly.

"Suki… are you alright?" Kakashi asked cautiously. The girl sadly nodded her head. "What did you see?"

She sniffled slightly as she wiped her runny nose. "…Gekido…" she hesitated slightly as she spoke the name, "called his dragon… Kazan… to summon the Nine-Tailed Fox…"

Kakashi slowly let his hand stroke her head, trying to help soothe her. "It's alright now… The dream is over…"

Suki shook her head at her father's reassuring words. "That's not all…"

Kakashi's onyx eye, as his mysterious left eye was closed, stared at her in worry. "What else was it?"

"F-For the first time… I saw everything… through his eyes…" Suki whispered, tears burning her red eyes again. Her face crinkled as a sob almost escaped her throat. "And it felt like I was happy at what I was seeing…" The tears spilled over, and she leaned into her father again, the sobs racking her body again.

Kinmaru's small but majestic head snapped quickly to look at Suki in surprise. Her words both gladdened and frightened him.

If she was able to relate to her former life, it meant that she was improving in her Guardian training. She was able to feel the emotions of her former lives, which meant that she was that much closer to reaching her full potential as the sacred protector. However, her previous life was Gekido, a dangerous psychopath intent on destroying the world and recreating it in his own image. If Suki began to relate too much to Gekido's feelings and emotions… she would end up just like him.

Kakashi inhaled sharply at the thought of her daughter being just like Gekido. "Well… how do you feel now?"

Suki lifted her head slightly to shift her silver eyes upwards to meet her father's one open eye. "I… I was scared… and sad…"

The silver-haired jounin sighed as relief washed over him. Knowing that his daughter didn't enjoy being like the former Guardian was reassuring. But the thought of the dreams getting continuously worse hung over his head.

But for now, that thought was pushed to the side of his brain to think about later. He gently held his daughter's shoulders at arm length as he stared into her watery eyes. "Then you have nothing to worry about." Suki's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but the tears ceased their descent down her cheeks. "Right now, you are not happy with what happened in the past. That means that you don't approve of any of it." One of his hands reached up to ruffle his daughter's already messy raven-colored hair, and an assuring smile graced his unmasked face. "You're nothing like him. Don't worry."

The girl sighed, in both relief and exhaustion. Her silver eyes glanced over at her clock; the time read about 1:30 in the morning. Her body ached with fatigue, but her mind was reeling with fear of returning to the terrifying dreamland.

_*Suki? Do you wish to meditate?*_ Kinmaru asked.

Kakashi glanced at the bird out of the corner of his eye. Meditation would leave Suki in a subconscious state, but since it was the middle of the night, he wasn't sure if he wanted her awake so late.

"You have the final part of your graduation exam tomorrow," her father reminded as he looked back at the girl.

She nodded in reply. "I know… But if I meditate, I won't think about the memory…" Mediation always helped to keep out unwanted thoughts… until nighttime, when they would return.

"Alright…" Kakashi sighed. "One hour, tops. You had better be in bed by then." His adopted daughter nodded in compliance as he stood up to leave. She slowly readjusted herself on her bed so that she was sitting cross-legged. She placed her hands into the sign of the Bird, and then she steadied her breathing to help clear her mind.

* * *

The following morning, the sun was shining brightly, illuminating the happy feelings of the Leaf villagers. Streets were busy with the early morning shoppers, and merchants plastered large smiles on their faces as customers stopped by.

Suki chose to not bother these particular people; she decided to take the less busy roads. Granted, it took a few minutes longer to get to the Ninja Academy, but it saved her from looking into angry glares.

Because five years ago, her secret had been exposed.

Once everyone knew, evil stares were continuously sent her way. Whispers of revulsion were murmured whenever she walked by, and threats were even thrown at her. Only because her father was a famous elite ninja of the village were there no more murder attempts. But Kakashi's ranking did nothing to stop the repulsion that the villagers felt as they stared at Suki. Even those few bystanders who had once seen her as a cute little girl who had moved to the village now saw her as a monster. A monster that had helped to cause the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago and to destroy the village during the war.

Suki shifted her eyes to stare at the ground and her feet as she walked on. The dirt road she traveled down was a little more deserted than the busy market streets, but a few villagers still walked along by her. The girl could feel the eyes burning into her, and she could hear the quiet words of disgust that circulated around her.

Kinmaru sat on his partner's shoulder, his small eyes glancing back and forth. As it was his duty to be so, he was very protective of the Guardian, and his normally gentle eyes turned fierce as he dared the villagers to say or do something they would regret.

_*How are you feeling?*_ Kinmaru asked, changing his angry expression to a more tranquil one as he looked at the black-haired girl.

"_I'm alright,"_ Suki thought back.

During the years of training, Suki had easily picked up on how to send her thoughts telepathically back to her partner. Kinmaru's telepathy ability allowed him to converse with others through, to simply put it, 'mind chat'. In addition, he could choose who he wished to hear him. It came in handy during class, as when the bird decided to give a comment to Suki, only she would hear him, and she would easily reply with her own thought.

_*Did you get enough sleep?*_ the hawk asked.

"_Yeah… I think I'll be okay for the exam today. I know all the jutsu Iruka-sensei taught us…"_ Suki replied, keeping her silver eyes down to avoid making eye contact with the other villagers who she knew were walking by.

Before Kinmaru could continue the conversation, a loud yell filled the air. "SSSUUUKKKIII!"

The golden hawk ruffled his feathers in irritation, his brown head wincing at the loud noise. _*I swear, that boy needs a mute button…*_

Suki giggled at her bird companion. He was always so serious, but he did have a softer and slightly funnier side to him underneath those brown and gold feathers.

Right on cue, an orange blob leaped from one of the nearby rooftops to land ungracefully in front of the girl and her hawk. Face first into the ground, a muffled moan of pain could barely be heard from the dirt in the blonde's mouth.

Suki lifted her loose fist to her mouth to hide her smile and stifle her laugh. But when Naruto lifted his head up to reveal dirty whiskers and blonde hair with speckled brown, her control betrayed her as she let out an amused laugh.

"That's not funny, Suki," the blonde grumbled as he stood up to brush his now dusty orange jumpsuit.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," the raven-haired girl said, the bright smile still painted on her face. "Good morning, by the way."

"Yeah, morning to you! And you too, Kinmaru!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he shouted his greetings.

While Suki was smiling at her friend, Kinmaru was wincing at the volume of the boy's voice. _*Yes, good morning to you too, Naruto,*_ the hawk said as he ruffled his feathers.

"Someone sounds grumpy," the whiskered boy said, his smile still as cheery as always.

He was completely unfazed by the voice talking in his head. After his best friend introduced the bird as her newfound animal partner, he welcomed the hawk with open arms. Plus, he found the mind chats extremely entertaining.

"So, are you ready for the final part of the graduation exam?" Suki asked as she continued to walk along the dirt path, Naruto falling into step beside her. "This is when we have to perform a jutsu in front of the teachers."

"Ah, this will be easy!" the exuberant boy announced with confidence in his tone. He lifted both hands to tie together behind his blonde locks. His bright orange jumpsuit clashed with the black shirt and white pants of his companion.

Suki raised an eyebrow. "Naruto… did you perfect your Clone Jutsu?"

The boy faltered, stumbling over his feet at the question. "Uh… well… maybe…"

The girl gawked in astonishment. "Naruto! What if the teachers decide they want to see the Clone Jutsu?"

"Ah, c'mon, Suki," Naruto said, flashing his signature foxy grin her way. "There are bunches of other jutsu that we learned. Seriously, what are the chances of the Clone Jutsu being picked?"

The girl wanted to retort that there was probably a high chance, as it was one of the most popular jutsu used in the shinobi arts. But she kept her mouth shut, and she fingered the bandages around right wrist nervously.

_*Suki…* _

Kinmaru's voice interrupted her inner thoughts, and she glanced down to realize that she had been tugging on the white wrapping around her wrist a little too much. She quickly readjusted it so that Naruto could not see the black markings.

Her secret had been revealed to the village five years ago, and she had often heard comments that cursed her for being the Guardian. Her classmates seemed to repel away from her, though they did not say anything about her being like Gekido. If her father was correct, the other children only listened to their parents forbidding them to talk to her; the chances of her schoolmates knowing she was the Guardian were probably very low.

Luckily though, Naruto had stuck by her over the years, and they grew closer and closer during the time.

Suki wished she could say the same about Kiba and Hinata.

She sighed sadly at these depressing thoughts, and the notion didn't go unnoticed by her friend. Naruto's eyebrow quirked in confusion and concern. "Suki? You alright?"

The silver-eyed girl jerked back into reality, and she placed a fake smile on her face. "Oh, of course. I'm just… worried about your Clone Jutsu. You know that you upset Iruka-sensei yesterday with your prank, don't you?"

"You mean with the frogs, cockroaches, and the cat going number two on his papers?" Naruto asked, a devious smile growing on his face.

"Yes, that one," Suki said, rolling her silver eyes. "He made you stay after school yesterday to clean up everything. What if he's still upset and asks you to do the Clone Jutsu?"

"But he bought me ramen yesterday!" the blonde exclaimed. "That should mean he forgave me!"

_*Yeah, we'll see…*_ Kinmaru said mentally. Naruto sent a ferocious glare toward the bird, which Suki assumed meant that the hawk had wanted the blonde to hear him.

"Whatever," he grumbled unhappily.

The trio arrived at the Academy, and many students were running around with glee as the thought of the last day of school kept hovering above them. Naruto and Suki's classmates, however, were nervous with the final part of the graduation exam approaching. The written exam just the previous day had been enough to burn them out; now they would have to perform a specific jutsu that they wouldn't have the chance of knowing ahead of time.

"Alright, students! Everyone head to your designated homerooms!" the teachers yelled out over the yammering crowd of children and parents.

At the order, the kids all filed inside the building, a huge mob of small bodies lumping together towards the entrance. In the large group of people, Suki accidentally got separated from her best friend, and Kinmaru was even forced to fly above the crowd as he hated the crowded atmospheres. It was alright though, as the girl knew they would just meet up inside.

Just then, she accidentally bumped into someone's back, not paying attention to where she had been going. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said as she looked up.

Her silver eyes met red fanged tattoos. Kiba's mouth fell open in surprise as he looked at his former friend. "Ah… it's alright."

Suki shut her mouth tightly as she looked at him. Hinata was walking beside him, and upon hearing what was going on, she turned around to see her former best girlfriend. She blushed slightly, feeling guilt flood through her. Kiba nervously looked away, too ashamed to keep eye contact with Suki. Shrouding himself further into his hooded gray jacket, he followed Hinata inside the building.

"Good luck today, guys," Suki said towards his retreating form. The words escaped her mouth before she had even registered them in her mind, but she didn't regret saying them. It was the first time she had said something to them in five years, other than the awkward 'Hi's that occurred every now and then.

The Inuzuka and the Hyuuga looked back at her, each sporting a frown on their faces. Suki's eyes looked to the ground, despair filling inside her as her former friends walked away.

She understood that their parents wouldn't want them around her. Her own father had explained to her that her fellow students wouldn't know of her identity, but under the orders of their parents, they would stay away from her. Kiba and Hinata had stopped hanging out with Naruto and Suki not long after she accepted her role as the protector.

The last-year students had finally filed into the classroom, and Suki found her seat beside Naruto in the back of the room. Kinmaru made his dramatic entrance with the last of the students as he flew in, his gold feathers reflecting brightly with the fluorescent lights.

The children all settled into their seats, and Iruka walked to stand in the center of the floor, his eyes roving to look over all of his students.

"Welcome, students," Iruka said, a proud yet serious smile on his face. "Today is the final part of your graduation exam. Yesterday, you all took the written exam, and the scores have been calculated. The performance of your jutsu will help to determine whether you pass or fail the graduation. The jutsu you all will be performing will be the Clone Jutsu."

Naruto's mouth fell open in astonishment and fear. His head fell down to slam repeatedly against the wooden desk. Suki bit her lip in pity as she looked at her friend. She reached a hand out and rubbed his back in sympathy. Kinmaru, seated upon the girl's shoulder, glanced at the blonde in a small display of compassion, though he was really more worried about Suki passing the test.

"We will call you in individually into the next room," Iruka continued, his eyes looking up to see Naruto's obvious signs of distress. A look of pity appeared for a split second before he turned back to the rest of his class. "Good luck to all of you." And with that, Iruka disappeared into the next room, and the list of names begun. "Shino Aburame."

Meanwhile, the whiskered boy sitting in the back row proceeded to gnaw on his fisted hand in anxiety, his blue eyes shimmering with fear. "That's my worst jutsu…" he whimpered.

"Naruto, I know you can do it!" Suki said in encouragement. "You just have to think positive!"

"I can never create a clone though! Ever! Whenever I do it, it doesn't work!" Naruto yelled frantically.

"Sakura Haruno."

"They're on the H's already?" the blonde shouted, his panic growing quickly. "I'm so dead…"

"Naruto! Get a grip!" Suki said as she shook his shoulders vigorously. "You are Naruto Uzumaki! You can do this! You're going to be Hokage one day. This will be a piece of cake, alright?"

Blue eyes stared blankly at her for a moment before shifting into determination. "You're right! I'm not scared of anything, so I'm definitely not scared of the Clone Jutsu! I will dominate this exam!"

"Shut up, you weirdo," a random classmate yelled out to interrupt Naruto's rant of resolve.

Fire grew within the cerulean orbs, and he began unleashing a string of curses inappropriate for any twelve-year-old to know. The Guardian was just about to inform her friend about how swearing was bad for kids their age when she was suddenly interrupted.

"Suki Kurohoshi."

The raven-haired girl took in a deep breath before sending a smile toward her friend. He gave her a thumbs up, and she returned the gesture enthusiastically.

She descended the stairs and crossed the room, feeling the stares of her classmates on her back. A few whispers could be heard, but she blocked them out, just as Kinmaru and her father had taught her.

She walked through the threshold into the room where the final exam took place. Iruka and another chuunin, Mizuki, were seated at a desk towards one side, leaving the floor open for the girl to perform her jutsu. Forehead protectors were lined up neatly on top of the wooden desk. The blue cloth and metal plate with the village insignia were enough to make the twelve-year-old gulp as the realization of how much pressure she was under hit her.

"Oh, Suki, all animals must wait here, so as not to interfere with the jutsu," Iruka said as he motioned to the general area where he and his fellow chuunin were seated.

She nodded in response, and her bird flew over to rest on the edge of the table, right next to Iruka.

"Alright. You may begin whenever you are ready, Suki," Mizuki said, his silver hair flipping a bit.

The girl took a calming breath and quickly wove her hands into the correct hand signs. A poof of smoke appeared, clouding her from the sight of the two teachers. In her mind, Suki prayed that her jutsu didn't fail for the first time.

The smoke passed, but the girl had yet to open her eyes. "Pass," Iruka said proudly.

Suki's eyes flew open as she looked to her side to see two perfect copies of herself. She grinned in excitement, and the clones dispelled as she ran over to the table in glee. Her now former teacher proudly held up one of the many headbands up to her. She happily took the cloth into her hands, and her fingers ran over the swirl on the metal that represented the Leaf Village. She held the headband close to her chest, an excited smile widely spread on her face.

"Congratulations, Suki Kurohoshi. You're a genin now," Iruka said. Her contagious grin made both chuunin smile in return.

"Thank you so much, Iruka-sensei!" she exclaimed happily. She ran out of the room in delight, Kinmaru flying right out behind her.

The fluorescent lighting of the examination room disappeared behind her, and her silver eyes blinked against the bright sun as she ran outside. Crowds of parents were standing in the courtyard. Some adults were awaiting their children to arrive; others were congratulating their sons and daughters for passing. Newly appointed genin showed off their brand new headbands off to each other and their parents.

The twelve-year-old girl made her way through the mob of families, wondering if her father had been able to come. As much as she wanted him there, it wouldn't have surprised her if he had a mission or something else important.

However, her doubts were wiped away when she saw the familiar spiky white hair standing out above the crowd. A big grin plastered on her face, Suki politely pushed through the adults and students towards her adopted father.

The familiar navy blue mask came in sight, and the one visible eye landed on the forehead protector in his daughter's hands. His eye crinkled as he smiled at her. "Congratulations, Suki!" he said.

"Thanks, Daddy! I couldn't have done it without your help!" Suki grinned.

_*Ahem,*_ Kinmaru interrupted as he landed on her shoulder.

"Yes, and your help too, Kinmaru," she said, her smile still lighting her face.

_*You've done well, Suki,*_ the hawk said, a small smirk lining his beak.

"Yes, you have, honey," Kakashi said with a smile beneath his mask. "Would you like to go celebrate with some dinner?"

"I want to wait for Naruto first," Suki replied. "Can he come too?"

"Sure, if he wants," her father shrugged in agreement.

A few more children emerged from the school, each presenting their new headband to their parents. Joyful genin jumped around in glee, and adults beamed with pride at their graduating sons and daughters.

Suki watched each individual person emerge from the building, internally going down the alphabet and the list of students in her class. With each kid exiting the school, the girl grew more anxious as she waited for her best friend. The suspense in waiting for Naruto made her fidgety, so she decided to finally tie her headband around her forehead. The blue cloth stuck to her head comfortably, and even though the metal provided extra weight, she smiled.

She was a ninja now.

Her silver eyes looked back up just in time to see the blonde spiky head making its way towards her direction. Her grin widened as she waited for him to approach.

But as the whiskered blonde fully came into view, Suki's smile slowly fell.

There was no forehead protector anywhere on him.

His blue eyes rose to connect with her own silver orbs, and despite the normal bright colors of their eyes, each of the twelve-year-olds were radiating with a dull sadness.

"Naruto…" Suki managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

Unshed tears shimmered in the pools of cerulean as the boy looked away. "…I didn't pass..." he choked out.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" the girl replied quietly.

"I made a clone… but it was pale and stupid looking…" Naruto muttered unhappily. "Iruka-sensei said that my written exam score wasn't high enough to pass me anyway. I failed that too."

"Naruto, if you needed help with the Clone Jutsu, why didn't you ask anyone?" Kakashi asked as he furrowed his eyebrows.

The blonde's forlorn expression suddenly changed into one of anger. "Because I wanted to prove that I could do it myself!" he yelled in outrage.

Suki frowned at his frustrated response, and her father felt a pang of sympathy. Naruto had always been a good friend to his daughter, so Kakashi had already grown to like the boy. Albeit, he was obnoxious and loud, but if he was friends with Suki, he was always welcome. It saddened the jounin a bit to hear that he hadn't asked for the assistance of someone to teach him the Clone Jutsu.

"Naruto, there's no shame in asking for help. That's what comrades and friends are for. That's what teamwork is," Kakashi pointed out as he pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Ah…" Naruto started, but he trailed off as he looked away, not bothering to answer. He didn't have a response, and he didn't feel like coming up with one anyway.

Suki looked to her bird companion for any kind of help, but he was just staring off into space. If the girl didn't see the sad look in his eyes, she would have thought that he didn't care. It made her feel a bit comforted to know that Kinmaru cared for her friends, and she only hoped that Naruto felt reassured by the compassion they were trying to give him.

"We… We were going to go out for some dinner. Do you want to come, Naruto? You're welcome to join…" Suki said, trying to gather up as much joy as she could, hoping it would rub off on the depressed boy.

He shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a bother to you guys…"

"You wouldn't be a bother, though," his friend insisted as she tried to lock her eyes onto his. He only continued to avert his gaze.

"It would do you good to get your mind off of this," Kakashi suggested.

"No. It's okay…" the boy said.

Before anyone could stop him, he turned around and walked away. Hands shoved into his pockets, his head hung limply down so that his chin rested on his chest. His eyes never left the ground as he passed the other parents.

A few murmurs could be heard as he walked by all the adults, but he refused to let his tears spill over in front of all these people.

"Humph, that's the only one who failed."

"Good. He shouldn't be a ninja anyway."

Naruto closed his eyes, a mixture of anger, sadness, and loneliness flooding through him. He broke into a run to escape from the torture of listening to the insults and seeing the glowers.

Suki watched him go, and she took a step forward to go after him, but her father's hand on her shoulder prevented him from doing so. She looked back up at him, but his own eye was looking in the direction that Naruto had gone in.

"He just needs some time cool off and be alone. You can talk to him later about this," Kakashi said. He let his eye finally turn to her, and he tried to muster up a smile. "In the meantime, how about that dinner?"

His daughter shrugged slightly, the weight of Kinmaru prohibiting the proper motion of her shoulders. "I guess…"

The jounin and the hawk glanced at her sadly, but the group turned away to head back into the heart of the village to find a good restaurant that would hopefully brighten everyone's moods.

* * *

Naruto walked around the village for hours. He had long since left the school and escaped the harsh whispers of the parents. Now he was just wandering around the village, aimlessly walking about. He was unaware of where in the village he was, but he cared little about that fact. His feet ached a bit, and his stomach growled hungrily. His eyes burned immensely, as he had yet to lift his head to look at anything but the ground; the lack of change of view began to blur his vision and sting his eyes.

"Naruto?" a voice called out from behind him, startling him out of his blurred world.

He turned around to see a head of short white hair and concerned black eyes. "Mizuki-sensei?"

The chuunin walked up to fall into step beside the student. Naruto went back to staring at the ground, unconsciously ignoring his new companion. Mizuki glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "How are you feeling, Naruto?" the man asked.

Naruto turned to stare up at the ninja, anger burning in his crystal blue eyes. He countered the innocent question with a heated question of his own. "Why didn't Iruka-sensei let me pass? At least I actually made a clone!"

Mizuki gave a small smile at Naruto's words. The wind gently picked up, softly picking his hair up with the breeze. Naruto's own blonde hair shifted only slightly, the spikes barely budging from their normal messy state.

"Iruka is a serious person," the chuunin said in a quiet tone. "His parents died when he was young, so he had to take care of everything himself."

"But why does he only pick on me?" Naruto yelled in frustration, stomping the dirt path with his right foot.

Mizuki gave a sad smile as he looked at the boy's pouting face. "He probably sees himself in you."

Naruto froze in his mini tantrum. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at his sensei incredulously.

Upon seeing that he had captured the blonde's attention, Mizuki continued. "He's probably thinking that he wants to see you become strong in the real way. Try to understand Iruka's feelings, since you also have no parents."

After a moment's hesitation, Naruto shrugged, his orange jacket crinkling a bit with the movement. He stopped walking, his position halting in the middle of the path. His hands shoved in his pockets, he slowly looked away from his white-haired sensei. "I still wish I had graduated…"

Mizuki, a few feet ahead, smirked at the boy. "Then in that case, I have a special secret that I'll share with you."

* * *

Hours later, the sun had long since disappeared, the moon replacing it with the night. Stars littered the black blanket that was the sky, and the full moon casted its glow upon a sleeping Konoha.

In one lonely apartment, a man laid on his bed, his hands intertwined behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, recalling the day's events. Just after the final part of the graduation exam, he had reported to the Hokage to hand in the list of names of the students that had graduated as genin. Naruto Uzumaki's name was the only one not on the list.

"_Iruka, I understand how you feel. But he is very similar to yourself,"_ the Hokage's voice echoed in the chuunin's head in memory.

The man closed his eyes, his face crumpling in deep thought. Images of that fateful night twelve years ago began flashing in his mind.

"_Let me go! My mom and dad are still fighting!" a much younger Iruka yelled as a jounin dragged him away from the battlefield._

"_Your parents are skilled jounin. They'll be fine!" the man who carried the boy away yelled over the chaos. His words sounded more like a distraction to get the boy away, rather than reassurance._

"_But they're fighting Gekido and the Kyuubi!" Iruka shouted, squirming in the man's grasp._

The present Iruka hissed at the awful memory. A sudden picture of two particular students flashed in his mind. Guilt immediately flooded through him at the thought of his mind even considering blaming them for his distress.

An unexpected knock awoke him from his thoughts, and he gladly answered the door, happy to be away from his upsetting contemplations. But when he swung his door open to see a distraught Mizuki, he wished he hadn't been disturbed at all.

"Iruka! You must come to the Hokage's Tower immediately!" Mizuki panted as he tried to take in deep gulps of air and speak at the same time.

"Why? What happened?" the other chuunin asked, fear beginning to course through him.

"Naruto has taken the Scroll of Forbidden Seals as a prank!" the distressed man said, trying to keep his breathing steady but failing as the urgency of the matter continued to rise considerably.

Iruka gawked, quickly returning into his apartment to get fully dressed. It took him a matter of seconds before he was ready, and he headed out with his comrade towards the Hokage's Tower.

* * *

"Do you think Naruto's okay?" Suki asked as she sat up in her bed to stare at her father.

Kakashi was seated on the edge of the bed, and he glanced at his daughter with his one eye. He sighed with a small shrug. After thinking about it for a moment, he finally nodded his head. "Yes. He is a tough guy with a lot of willpower. I think he'll eventually get over this and head back to the Academy with an even stronger determination than before."

The raven-haired girl slowly nodded her head at her father's words. "I guess you're right. I'm sad for him though. I wish that he and I could have worked together as genin."

_*Maybe when he graduates next time, you'll see him more,* _Kinmaru said from his wooden post a few feet away from the bed. He smiled encouragingly down at his partner.

"I hope so," Suki said softly.

Kakashi leaned over and kissed the top of her head through his dark mask. He tucked her into bed and rose to leave the room. But just as he was about to turn the lights off, a knock from the front door caught everyone's attention. The jounin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but he quickly hid it from his daughter and her hawk.

"One moment," Kakashi smiled reassuringly. He quickly left the room and headed downstairs to answer the door.

Suki stared at her closed bedroom door in bewilderment. She quietly untangled herself from her covers and tiptoed to the door. She opened it just a creak and listened to the voices downstairs.

_*Suki, it's just your father's friend, Asuma,*_ Kinmaru said as he stretched his wings to prepare for bed.

"Shush!" she hushed quietly as she pressed her ear closer to the slightly ajar door. The hawk squinted with authority at the girl, giving her a disapproving glare. Suki ignored his glower. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

Kinmaru sighed as he lightly flapped his wings to fly over and land on her small shoulder. He easily listened in to mentally hear the thoughts of both jounin. His feathers ruffled in sudden worry.

The Guardian easily noticed her hawk's growing discomfort. "What's wrong?"

_*Naruto has stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals!*_ Kinmaru thought back in a surprised panic.

"What?" Suki shrieked. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, and when she heard footsteps coming toward her room, she rapidly dove under her covers while the golden bird rested back on his perch.

Kakashi opened the bedroom door all the way and quickly made his way to his daughter. "Suki, I have to go out for a quick mission. I'll be back in the morning, alright?"

"Alright, Daddy," she nodded, hiding the fright in her voice.

He gave her a goodbye kiss on her cheek and left, following Asuma out the door and toward the Hokage's Tower.

Once Suki was certain the jounin were gone, she threw the covers off once more and quickly dressed herself in her ninja gear. She tugged on her white sleeveless kimono top with a black vine and flower design and her black pants. Grabbing her kunai holster and weapons pouch, she ran out the door, not forgetting to place her blue sandals on. Kinmaru was right on her tail, flying just above her head as she ran through the dirt roads.

_*You realize you'll get in a lot of trouble with your father for leaving the house this late at night, don't you?*_ Kinmaru thought out to his partner.

"_Naruto will be in even more trouble if someone else catches him before I do!"_ Suki countered hastily.

Kakashi and Kinmaru had told her legends of the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. It was a scroll with various forbidden jutsus. It was a dangerous scroll whose contents were banned from the human eye by the Fourth Hokage. If used in the wrong way, it would create danger and chaos.

_*Suki, calm down,*_ the hawk said, interrupting her thoughts.

"_How can I calm down? The entire shinobi population of the village is surely hunting Naruto down right now!"_ the girl shot back, throwing caution out the window as she put on a burst of speed.

_*Suki, duck!*_ Kinmaru yelled.

"_Wha-" _

Suki was thrown off track as she felt something roughly push her. She fell to the ground of a nearby alley, the dark shadows of the buildings mixing with the night sky to completely conceal her form. It took her a moment to realize that Kinmaru had been the one to push her as he landed softly on her shoulders.

She was just about to yell at him for making her waste time when she saw several figures run by the mouth of the alleyway.

"That brat won't get away with this one!"

"Yeah, we'll find him and throw him in prison for this crime!"

"That monster has gone too far!"

She finally put two and two together, and she realized that the people running by were shinobi who were on the hunt for her best friend.

_*They almost saw you, Suki. If you get caught, you'll be sent to either your father or worse, the Hokage. Then you can forget about finding Naruto,*_ Kinmaru scolded as his eyes turned to sharply stare at the twelve-year-old.

"_I…"_ she trailed off, knowing that her hawk was right.

The ninja who were running through the village were elite chuunin and jounin, and she was a recently graduated student from the Ninja Academy. She was barely a genin by ninja standards, as she had yet to do any formal training or missions.

_*You have an advantage though, Suki,*_ Kinmaru continued, a reassuring smile appearing on his beak. _*Put your Guardian training to good use.*_

Suki's eyes widened in realization as she comprehended his words. She nodded her head, determination reigniting in her.

She closed her silver eyes and concentrated on her chakra. She placed her hand on the ground, letting her energy flow into the earth. _"Legendary Style: Eye of the Bird."_

_*You were born in the year of the Bird,*_ Kinmaru's voice echoed in her head.

The Guardian spread her chakra through the ground, extending her senses to find what she was looking for.

_*Observance is your strength.*_

She could feel the pure elements that made up her village. The dirt, the rocks, the trees, everything meshed into her mind as she filed through all these passing images. Even with closed eyes, she was able to see each and every one of the land's elements flashing pictures in her mind.

_*Channel your soul into the elements of your surroundings. Once you learn to sense through them, you will be able to harness them.*_

The trees that made up the forest suddenly called out to her, and she gasped. Her eyes reached beyond her physical form and flew through the village to finally find what she had been searching for.

Naruto, seated in the middle of the forest, was looking through the scroll that he had stolen. He looked bruised and tired, but otherwise, he was alright. And alone… for now.

Suki released her chakra, her inner being returning to her. She crumpled to the ground, the immense energy usage leaving her weak.

The technique was something that she had been practicing ever since she had accepted her duty as the Guardian. Since she was born in the year of the Bird, she was to learn the abilities associated with that year and go in order from there.

But she was still a rookie as a ninja, and the jutsu took too much out of her. Kinmaru looked at her worriedly, his head tilting slightly so his golden eyes could look at her. _*Are you alright?*_ he asked.

"_I'm just drained…"_ she replied. _"I found him. He's alone for now, but we have to hurry."_

Kinmaru nodded. _*Don't rush though. If you go too fast, you might collapse from exhaustion.*_

Suki ran off, both hearing and ignoring his advice. She ducked around buildings and tried to hide as much as possible so the other shinobi didn't spot her. But her main focus was just on finding her best friend.

* * *

Naruto sat on the ground, breathing heavily. One arm rested on his knee, and he winced slightly with each breath he took. The Scroll of Forbidden Seals was strapped to his back, making him hunch over from the extra weight. His body was so beaten and bruised from his practicing. Despite the pain though, he smiled. He had done what he wanted to do.

"I've found you," a voice growled from above him.

Surprised, Naruto looked up to see his teacher standing right in front of him, leering down at him. Hands dug into his hips and an angry smile on his face, Iruka was the picture of frustration at that moment.

"Hehe, you've found me," Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his blonde head. "I only had time to learn one thing though."

"You look all beaten up. What were you doing out here?" Iruka asked, squinting down at the boy suspiciously.

"Never mind that!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly very excited. "I'm going to show you an awesome jutsu, and then you'll let me graduate, right?"

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise at the words that escaped Naruto's mouth. _"He's been practicing out here? And enough to damage his body too…"_ He quickly shook his head to keep himself on task. He raised an eyebrow as the boy was about to complete a hand sign. "Naruto, where did you get that scroll?"

The whiskered boy broke from his stance to look up at his teacher. He grinned at him as he pointed at the giant scroll on his back. "Oh, this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it. And then he told me to come here after I found it. He said if I showed you a skill from the scroll, I'd definitely graduate!"

The chuunin gawked at the boy. _"Mizuki?"_ A sudden presence alerted him that he and Naruto were not alone, but only too late was he able to react.

* * *

"Darn it!" Suki hissed under her breath as she peered through the bushes. "I didn't make it in time."

_*Wait, just look,*_ Kinmaru thought to her, his voice sounding a bit reassuring. _*Iruka is not scolding Naruto. He doesn't even seem that angry.* _

The girl moved a stray strand of her black hair back behind her ear, her silver eyes squinting to get a better view. Kinmaru was right. Iruka was standing over Naruto, hands on his hips, in what appeared to be an angry stance. But from her spot in the bushes, which was located just to the side of her former teacher and best friend, Suki could see that Iruka's expression was more confused than frustrated.

The girl sighed in relief. At least Naruto hadn't been caught by someone who would instantly throw him to the Hokage to be placed in jail.

"_Kinmaru, you should fly ahead and make sure no one else is around,"_ Suki said, her inner voice sounding a bit worried. _"I don't want someone to come in and convince Iruka that Naruto should be put in big trouble."_

_*And what do you intend on doing?*_ the hawk asked, raising a feathery brow.

"_I'm going to be there for my friend if he needs me,"_ the girl replied easily, a bit of confidence evident in her inner tone.

The bird nodded. _*Just be careful, alright Suki?*_ The girl nodded her own head in return, and with one flap of his wings, Kinmaru quietly and softly took off through the trees and into the dark sky.

Suki continued to watch the chuunin and student, waiting for something even more reassuring to happen. Maybe Iruka could give Naruto a hug? Maybe Naruto could apologize for putting everyone through so much worry?

But instead, Suki picked up on part of the conversation, leaving her befuddled and curious. "Never mind that! I'm going to show you an awesome jutsu, and then you'll let me graduate, right?" Naruto asked in excitement.

"_What?"_ the girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Just before she could question Naruto's words further, a hand clamped down on her mouth from behind. She squealed in surprise and fright, but her shriek was muffled by her captor. "The last thing I need is for you to spoil my plans, Guardian," a familiar voice hissed in her ear.

Suki's eyes widened. _"Mizuki-sensei?"_

She cried again, louder this time, in hopes of catching either Iruka or Naruto's attention. But the chuunin who held her in his grasp only tightened his hold on her mouth and squeezed her wrists behind her back.

"Oh, this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it. And then he told me to come here after I found it. He said if I showed you a skill from the scroll, I'd definitely graduate!" Naruto's exuberant voice said from the clearing in the woods.

In a flash, Mizuki had his hand in his weapons pouch, removing about ten kunai. With a flick of his wrist, the knives were thrown from their position in the bushes and hurled towards the two unsuspecting victims.

"_Naruto!"_ Suki instantly cursed herself for using up the majority of her chakra so quickly, and she stared wide-eyed as the weapons seemed to fly in slow motion toward her teacher and her best friend.

In the clearing, Iruka sensed the weapons hurtling towards Naruto and himself too late. He threw his palm into Naruto's chest, sending him flying backwards toward safety. The fast-moving kunai flew towards the tan chuunin, and he skidded in reverse until his back made contact with a tree. While some knives lodged themselves in the bark of the trunk, some weapons found themselves pierced into Iruka's arms, legs, and chest.

"Haha, so it seems you have found the moron!" Mizuki's voice said in a maniac excitement. Iruka's eyes nervously glanced around the forest, trying to pinpoint his fellow chuunin's location.

"I see… So it was you behind all of this…" Iruka managed to groan out as blood trickled down from the corners of his mouth and oozed from his growing wounds.

"Naruto, I suggest you hand over the scroll to me," Mizuki's voice maliciously purred from the darkness of the forest, enhancing the fright that grew within the blonde.

"What… What is going on here?" Naruto sputtered out as he frantically looked around the clearing. He scrambled to his feet, throwing himself into a battle stance, but his body betrayed him by quivering where he stood.

"Naruto! Whatever you do, do not give Mizuki the scroll!" Iruka yelled as he clutched his right arm to cease the blood flow. His upper body leaned over in a hunch from the pain, but his face turned to Naruto to make eye contact, hoping to show the seriousness of the situation. "That's a dangerous scroll filled with forbidden ninjutsu! Mizuki used you so that he could get his own grimy hands on it!"

Understanding suddenly crossed his features, and the boy growled in response to his sensei's explanation. "You…" he spat out as he tried to locate the enemy's spot.

"Ah, it's a shame you won't listen to me," Mizuki's voice echoed out, sounding rather amused. "I guess this little girl is going to have to suffer then."

Both Iruka and Naruto furrowed their eyebrows in confusion at the man's words. Mizuki leaped from his spot behind the bushes to stand on a tree branch so that he towered over his new opponents. The blonde boy's eyes widened at what he saw.

Mizuki was holding Suki captive, one arm wrapped around her neck in a chokehold while his other hand held a kunai up to her chin. Both of the girl's hands were clawing at the arm that held her captive, but the man's strength easily overpowered her.

"Of course, I don't think you should really care, Naruto, considering what she's done to you," the white-haired chuunin chuckled evilly.

"What are you talking about? She's my best friend, and I won't let you hurt her!" the whiskered twelve-year-old growled as he clenched his hands into fists. His knuckles turned white and ached from the pressure, but he ignored it as he glared at the chuunin.

"Oh, so she hasn't told you about who she really is?" the man smirked as his eyebrow rose in mock surprise.

Iruka and Suki instantly caught on to what he was saying. The girl quickly tried to wiggle herself out of his grasp, but it was to no avail. The Academy instructor pulled himself up so that he almost stood up straight, despite the kunai lodged in his body. "Mizuki, don't say anything!" Iruka yelled out desperately.

His former comrade completely ignored him. "Naruto, I'm sure you've heard of the attack that occurred twelve years ago, eh?"

The boy in question quickly became confused, his determined and angry face suddenly giving way to bewilderment.

"Years ago, the world was at war because of the former Guardian, Gekido," Mizuki continued, his smirk growing into a crazy grin. "That man summoned the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, destroying the Leaf Village as a result. And since that day, a special rule was written that no one could tell you about."

Suki's silver eyes narrowed in confusion. Even she wasn't aware of where Mizuki's explanation was going.

However, Iruka was struggling against his pain to try and stop the other chuunin's speech. "Stop!" Iruka yelled out.

"What is this rule?" Naruto asked. "Tell me!"

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to tell you that you are the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon!" Mizuki cackled out. "You're the monster who killed half the village, including Iruka's parents!"

Both Naruto and Suki's eyes widened at the words. "Wha… What?" the blonde stuttered.

"And you know whose fault that is?" Mizuki taunted. "Gekido, the previous Guardian. He is the one who summoned the Fox Demon, and he is the reason you are the hated monster of Konoha! The Fourth Hokage, the great man that you admire, is the one who sealed the demon inside you! You've been lied to by everyone!"

"Stop it!" Iruka shouted, but his demands were ignored.

"The legendary sacred protector is the cause for your pathetic life," Mizuki laughed. "Gekido summoned the demon only to have it sealed inside of you!"

Suki suddenly stopped her squirming, her eyes as wide as saucers. Images of the previous night's dream unwillingly came flooding back, drowning her in unwanted visions.

"And guess what? The girl you call your best friend has been lying to you about who she really is!" the crazed chuunin laughed maniacally.

"What?" Naruto sputtered out.

"Suki Kurohoshi… is Gekido," Mizuki said, his loud voice suddenly turning into a malicious whisper. But his quiet tone was still loud enough for everyone to hear. "Your best friend is the new Guardian."

The blonde's blue eyes widened, and tears began to brim the edges. "Suki…"

"Naruto… it's not true," Suki managed to choke out. But even her words sounded like a lie to her ears, because no matter how many times she tried to deny it, she was the reincarnation of Gekido.

"Ha! That's what you say! But we all know that you are Gekido, no matter what you look like or what your name is," the white-haired male said as he tightened his chokehold on the girl. "Gekido was, is, and will always be you!"

Tears spilled from Suki's eyes as she depicted the twisted truth in his words. Sobs racked her body, and she would have crumpled to her knees if the man wasn't keeping her standing up by the throat.

"Suki lied to you about who she was because she is the reason that you are a freak," Mizuki said.

"Naruto… I didn't know that you were…" the girl tried to say, but her sobs interrupted her from saying anything more.

The boy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to escape this horrible truth. But with everything suddenly being explained to him, he finally connected the dots. He was the Kyuubi Fox Demon; that was why everyone hated him. Suki was the Guardian… she was Gekido… that was why everyone seemed to stay away from her. And it was Suki's fault that he was considered a monster.

The abrupt pressure and stress overwhelmed him, and he felt a sudden surge of energy flow through him. He unleashed a loud growl, and he could feel an overpowering feral sensation encase him. He willingly let it take away his pain and sorrow, and his wounded soul was replaced with a deep unsettling anger.

"No one has ever loved you! And no one ever will!" Mizuki yelled, a triumphant smile spreading on his face.

He threw Suki to the side, and the sudden action shocked her so much that she barely had time to react. Her head collided with the hardened bark of a nearby tree, and the wind was knocked out of her. She fell to the ground, and she clutched her head in pain. She gasped as she felt the warm sticky substance on her fingers. Her head was bleeding.

Mizuki quickly leaped from his perch on the tree branch, aiming straight at Naruto, who seemed to be shrouded in a reddish cloud of energy.

"_He's never known a parent's love…"_ Iruka thought hastily as he pushed himself up. _"He wants people to acknowledge his existence…"_ The man threw himself up until he was properly standing and then hurled himself forward.

The sound of flesh being pierced with metal echoed through the clearing, and the smell of fresh blood wafted through the air. Suki looked up, and what she saw brought tears to her eyes. Her body was paralyzed with shock, and she was unable to pick herself up from her spot on the ground.

Iruka was leaning over Naruto, who appeared to be just as surprised as Suki felt. The reason for the astonishment was because the large shuriken that Mizuki had thrown was lodged in the other chuunin's back.

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto whispered. The red energy that had almost engulfed him with his anger had vanished as his bewilderment rose.

Tears fell from the man's face in rivers, landing on Naruto's own dusty and bruised face. "Naruto… I understand how you feel…"

Cerulean orbs widened in surprise at the words, and tears brimmed the edges of his own eyes.

"To be ignored… To be unaccepted… To feel worthless… I understand your pain. I went through it myself…" Iruka choked out. "When my parents died, I was alone… And so were you, until Suki came along…"

Naruto glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eyes. She was on the ground, staring at him with concerned eyes, both hands clutching the back of her head as it continued to bleed. Just the day before, if he had seen her in the state she was in now, he would have immediately leapt to her side and brought her to the hospital.

But now, after hearing these painful truths, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel as he looked at her. He turned his head away from her, closing his eyes to block out the guilt, the sadness, and the anger that flooded through him.

Iruka didn't seem to realize that Naruto has having an internal battle with himself. "Naruto…" The boy with whiskered cheeks snapped his eyes to meet his sensei's once more at the mention of his name. "I'm so sorry if I wasn't there to give you the encouragement you needed… I didn't try hard enough to be there for you, like Suki tried to…"

"Tsk, tsk, all this sappy nonsense," Mizuki interrupted, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He raised his second shuriken, ready to hurl it right at his former comrade. "Pathetic."

The metal star left his light grasp, spinning gracefully and dangerously towards the injured man and the surprised child. The girl off to the side gasped. She tried to pick herself up and throw the shuriken off track, but the growing concussion in her head throbbed, knocking her off balance. Suki fell back to the earth, and her hands squeezed her hair as a shooting pain coursed through her cranium.

Her vision was blurred with black dots, but even through her fuzzy eyesight, she was able to make out what was happening. Her mouth fell open in both astonishment and wonder.

Naruto was standing in front of Iruka, arms across his chest in a horizontal fashion, pointing to the left. Both hands were bloodied. Off to the side, the giant shuriken was stuck to a tree, it's metal gleaming in the now fading moonlight. It took Suki a few moments to make out what happened, but after she blinked back the black spots obstructing her vision, she lightly squeaked when she realized what had occurred.

The boy had jumped in front of his sensei and taken his chances with the metal star. When it reached him, he had pushed it to the side. His palms and fingers were covered in his own blood, and his hands were crooked, signifying that they were now broken.

"If you so much as touch my sensei…" Naruto growled out as he moved his arms back to his sides, "… I'll kill you!"

His head lifted up to meet the cocky eyes of Mizuki. The cheerful blue was gone, and it was replaced with a crimson color to match the blood on his hands. Suki's own silver eyes widened as she saw the red slits for eyes that somehow seemed both familiar and foreign to her. A sudden memory from her dream hit her like a boulder.

_From the mysterious black rift in the space, two ferocious blood red eyes opened._

"Ha! You think you can take me on! I'll destroy you in a heartbeat!" the oblivious chuunin mocked as he reached for his weapons pouch. "You don't stand a chance against me."

"Bring your worst! I'll deliver the pain back to you times a thousand!" Naruto roared, red eyes burning with unleashed fury.

He threw his broken hands into his newly learned hand sign, and in a giant puff of smoke, one thousand copies of himself appeared to take up the majority of the space in the forest. Mizuki's mouth fell open in a silent scream, his eyes taking in the clones of the student.

"_Shadow Clone Jutsu?"_ Iruka's eyes widened as he stared at the clearing. He was leaning against the trunk of a tree to stay away from the hundreds of Naruto clones.

"_Physical copies, not just illusions…"_ Suki thought in awe as she groaned at the pressure continuing to push on her brain.

"So how about it? I'll take the first move then!" Naruto laughed, a hint of humor coming over him to replace a bit of the deadly aura around him.

Within moments, the horde of Naruto clones leaped from their perches and jumped on the frightened Mizuki. It only took minutes for the copies to have their fun with the beatings before they dispersed themselves, leaving an injured chuunin to lie in the middle of the clearing.

During the chaos, Naruto's fury had been relieved, and the terrifying red eyes changed back to the normal cheery blue.

The boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he chuckled. "Well, I guess I went overboard just a bit…"

The sun was beginning to rise just over the tips of the trees, brightening what was once a terrifying darkness.

A sudden rustling in the trees alerted the group of another presence. Iruka and Naruto quickly turned to the source, while Suki only glanced out of the corner of her eyes, as her brain was pounding viciously against her skull.

Kakashi emerged from the thick foliage of the forest to land in the center of the clearing. Kinmaru flew in right after him, landing on the jounin's shoulder. Just as the man with silver hair was about to ask if everyone was alright, his eyes landed on his daughter, clutching her head in pain while her forehead pressed into the dirt in an attempt to ease her growing headache.

The ninja was beside his daughter in less than a heartbeat. He crouched down to her side, quickly pulling out a first aid kit. He pressed a cloth to the gash on her head before she took over and held it herself. Kinmaru landed on the ground to stand near Suki's head, examining the wound for himself. His feathers ruffled in agitation at seeing her injured like this.

The jounin finally looked up to see Iruka leaning against a tree, breathing a little heavily. Naruto was collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. His hands appeared to be broken, but other than the bruises and cuts, he seemed fine.

"What happened here?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto is innocent of any blame," Iruka explained. "Mizuki is the one who convinced him to steal the scroll, merely for his own benefit. As I'm sure you've guessed, it appears that Suki came to see what was going on, and Mizuki attacked her as a result."

"Injuries?" the jounin asked.

"I only have a few gashes, but they're not life-threatening," Iruka said. "But I don't think walking is an option. Naruto's hands are broken and cut. Suki's head seems to be worse, as I'm sure there's a concussion at this point. She hasn't been able to move, and I haven't had the chance to treat her."

The masked man nodded, his silver hair falling into his one eye a bit. Through the dark cloth that covered his face, he bit his thumb and wove a few hand signs. After slamming his hand to the ground, a small poof of smoke appeared. A little brown pug appeared through the smoke, looking up at his master.

"What do you need, Boss?" the little dog asked, his deep voice not matching his small form. He was dressed in a dark blue vest, and a Leaf forehead protector was tied securely around his head.

The sound of the voice woke Naruto from his dazed state on the ground. He jumped up and stared at the dog in shock. "Did that dog just talk?" he shrieked in disbelief.

Kakashi ignored him as he continued to converse with the pug-faced brown canine. "Pakkun, I need you to find some help to bring Iruka and Naruto to the hospital. I need to take Suki there immediately, as it appears she has a concussion."

"Right away, Kakashi," the pug replied. With one small jump, he was running through the forest as fast as his little legs could carry him.

The jounin quickly turned back to his adopted child, and he gently picked her up so that she was leaning into his side. "How do you feel, Suki?"

"Dizzy…" she muttered.

Kinmaru's feathers rustled even more at that response. _*We need to move her now!*_ he exclaimed.

Kakashi quickly nodded. He maneuvered her so that she was resting on his back, and he held her legs securely by his waist. He was about to leap away into the trees when a voice stopped him.

"Wait…" Naruto murmured, almost inaudibly, but everyone was still able to hear him. "Suki…"

The girl slowly turned her head to look at her friend. Her left hand was clutching the bloodied cloth to the gash in her head. Her eyes were drooping, but they tried to focus through the blurs to concentrate on the blonde as he approached.

"Was Mizuki… telling the truth? Are you… the Guardian?" Naruto asked nervously as he whispered the last word.

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, and Kinmaru turned his golden eyes onto the fallen chuunin to glare at him. But both immediately glanced over at the twelve-year-old girl to see her reaction.

Tears appeared in her eyes, obstructing her already distorted vision even more. Very slowly she removed her left hand from her head to unwrap the white bandages around her right wrist. The wrapping fell to the ground, and she held her arm out to display her cursed black tattoo.

After staring at it for a few moments, Naruto was able to regain himself. Staring at the mark in fear, he backed away. "So it was you…" he muttered.

Suki's tears began to slowly stream down her lightly tanned cheeks. "Naruto, no, it's not like that…"

"You're the reason why everyone hates me," Naruto said, his voice growing steadily louder. "You're Gekido. You did this to me!"

The girl let out an involuntary sob as she looked away from his angry eyes.

He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're the reason I'm a freak!"

Iruka stared at his pupil in both surprise and sympathy. Kakashi's eye glanced in another direction as the tension instantly grew. Kinmaru stared up at the boy who had befriended his human companion so many years before, and he shook his head in disappointment.

Even though Suki wasn't paying any attention to it, the cut on the back of her head was beginning to drip with new blood. Her father and animal guide immediately sensed it, and without another word, Kakashi jumped into the trees with Kinmaru flying right behind him.

Suki sobbed into her father's back as he carried her away from what was ultimately her former best friend. Through the tears and her pulsing eyes, she glanced at the signature of the Guardian plastered forever on her right wrist. Her left hand was still being pressed to her injury, but if she had been able to, she would have clawed at the ugly black tattoo.

But she continued to stare at her wrist, and the mark that looked back at her made her cringe. She couldn't understand how one tattoo could hold so much meaning. Yet it was the reason why everyone in the Leaf Village hated her. It was the reason why everyone in Kagayaku had always hated her. It was the reason Naruto now hated her. It was the reason why she hated herself.


	12. Apologize

**Oh my gosh, thank you guys so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them all! I'm so sorry I haven't gotten around to responding to them, life definitely gets in the way. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate your feedback! Thank you guys for the support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Apologize by OneRepublic**

* * *

"How was she last night?" Kakashi's solemn voice asked quietly.

His one visible onyx eye glanced over at the bird perched on the island in the middle of the kitchen. The jounin stood by the sink, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the counter. He was donning his normal shinobi outfit, his green vest zipped over his black shirt. His dark mask covered over his face, yet the worry for his daughter was written clearly across his hidden expressions. Even Kinmaru could see just how concerned the father was.

_*There were no dreams…*_ the hawk replied, though the mental voice sounded more than slightly nervous. The ninja easily picked up on the hesitant tone, and he gave the animal guide an expectant look. Kinmaru appeared to shrug, as much a bird can, as he spoke again. _*She didn't sleep at all. She was tossing and turning all night, and I didn't have to read her mind to know that she was thinking of Naruto.*_

Kakashi sighed as he nodded his head one time. "I should've figured…"

The sound of approaching footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase, and any words that were to be spoken were immediately diminished when the twelve-year-old girl walked into the room. Needless to say, Suki looked heartbroken.

Her already messy raven-colored hair was tied up into an untidy bun. Tear stains could be seen on her white kimono top and even a few recent droplets were scattered across her black pants. Dark bags ran beneath her eyelashes, signifying that Kinmaru was right when he said that she received no sleep the previous night. Her fair-skinned cheeks were red and blotchy with salty stains of liquid sadness creating a path down her face. Her silver eyes were significantly dulled, their normal brightness replaced with red puffiness. A large white bandage was taped to the back of her head, where she had received the gash from her encounter with Mizuki just the night before, when everything in her life seemed to go wrong.

Kakashi instantly frowned as he took in her appearance, though she seemed to be completely ignoring her father and animal partner. She dazedly grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and took an unenthusiastically small bite. The silver-haired man slowly walked up behind his daughter, eying her warily. He placed a cautious hand upon her shoulder, for fear of frightening her and sending her into instability or a mental breakdown.

Suki slowly turned her head to look at her dad, her eyes seeming to look passed him instead of actually looking at him. The man stared at her worriedly, his silver eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Suki? Are you alright?"

She slowly shook her head in response. "No… But what does it really matter?"

If possible, Kakashi's frown deepened. "It matters a lot, Suki. Why would you say that?"

"Because nobody really cares about me," she instantly said, her voice cracking towards the end of her statement.

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, staring at her in concern. "So does that make Kinmaru and me nobody?" he asked quietly.

The girl opened her mouth to reply, but she instantly closed it when no words came out. Fresh tears peeked at the edges of her eyes, and she lunged into her father's chest, letting the sadness spill over her cheeks. The ninja let his arms wrap around the younger person's smaller frame; he even crouched down to his knees to make it easier for her to hug him.

He held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder. Oddly enough, Kakashi began losing himself in his memories of when he had first held Suki this close, letting her cry into his shirt.

It was the day he had adopted her.

Yet, those had been tears of happiness, of joy, of gratitude. Now, they were tears of heartbreak and depression. How he could even compare these two instances was beyond him, but he knew that at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to make her happy like she had been just those six years ago.

At long last, Suki pulled away, wiping away the remaining salty liquid droplets with the back of her hand. Kakashi placed both of his hands on her shoulders, and he met his black eye with her silver orbs.

"Suki, I know what it's like to lose a friend," he said softly, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. "Different circumstances, yes, but the pain is still there in both situations."

The girl sniffled a few times before she asked, "Does the pain ever go away?"

Beneath his mask, Kakashi bit his lower lip in contemplation before he finally shook his head. "It doesn't." A look of instant depression swept over Suki's facial features, and she looked about ready to cry again. But her father interrupted her before she could let the tears fall. "But when you have people who care for you, and you find care to give to other people, the pain dims down just enough that you can live again."

Suki's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, allowing the watery sorrow to halt before they spilled. "Really?"

"Yeah," the jounin replied, giving a warm smile. "That's what happened to me when I met you." The twelve-year-old perked up at this, and she felt a small grin tug at the corners of her mouth. "You have people who care about you, Suki. Kinmaru and I will always be here to comfort you. You're not alone."

The little girl gave a watery smile as she wrapped her arms around her dad's neck in loving gratitude. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome," Kakashi smiled as he hugged his daughter back.

When the pair finally released their hold on one another, a slight cough could be heard from the almost forgotten member of the family. _*Ahem,* _Kinmaru thought out to the pair.

Suki let loose a small giggle at her hawk's obvious annoyance at being left out while Kakashi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Hehe… sorry about that, Kinmaru," the older ninja said anxiously.

The bird rolled his gold eyes in mild exasperation, but then he turned his gaze to his partner to give her a concerned look. _*Do you feel better, Suki?*_

She nodded once as she beamed a bit at her hawk. "Yeah, I guess so."

_*Well… It is time now,* _the hawk said as he nodded his head toward the door.

"That's right, you're getting your team today," the jounin said. "Good luck with that, Suki."

"Okay," she responded. She held her arm out for her bird, who majestically jumped and landed on her upper arm. "Bye, Daddy."

"Goodbye, I'll see you later," Kakashi said as he bid farewell to his adopted child.

And with that, Suki walked out the door with Kinmaru on her shoulder. After waiting a few moments, Kakashi left the house as well to receive his list of new genin students from the Hokage's office. He silently hummed to himself, wondering who his students this year would be and if they were any good… probably not. They never were.

* * *

Suki, with Kinmaru seated on her shoulder, walked into the designated classroom to see that nearly everyone had already arrived. The newly registered genin were all about the room, showing off their identical shinobi headbands to one another. Some people were sitting in their chairs while others were running around, trying to show their forehead protectors to each and every person. Comments and goals were whispered through the cliques and groups, expectations already held high for each person.

The raven-haired girl bit her lip nervously. There were about thirty other people gathered for this genin orientation, and sadly, she wasn't friends with any of them. During her entire life at the Konoha Ninja Academy, she was ever only able to rely on one person and one person only. And now, he didn't even want to know her anymore. Then again, she probably wouldn't get the chance to see him anyway. He hadn't even passed the-

Suki's thoughts were cut short when she bumped into someone. Someone that she had just been thinking about. "Naruto?" The girl stared in shock at the blue headband fastened around his forehead.

The blond looked up at her in surprise before his blue eyes instantly darkened. He turned away instantly to head off in a different direction, as far away from his former best friend as possible.

The silver-eyed genin frowned as she watched the orange-clad boy walk away. _"I just wanted to ask how he became a genin…"_ Suki thought to herself sadly.

Kinmaru's voice suddenly echoed in her head, signifying that he was spying in on her inner thoughts. _*Iruka passed him after you left the clearing last night.*_ The Guardian sent her bird a look of indifference, as she was still preoccupied with the fact that her friend hated her. The hawk shrugged as he said, _*You were wondering about it…*_

Suki sighed as she went to sit down at one of the desks. She was about to rest her head in her arms, but the bandage wrapped firmly on the cut in her cranium made it uncomfortable to lower her head, so she was forced to stare at the empty floor where Iruka should have been.

Just as that thought flittered in her mind, the chuunin instructor walked into the room. He looked at the excited students who were scattered about the room, and a faint smile appeared on his face. His eyes eventually landed on two particular students. There was one blonde boy who had his chin resting in the crook of his arms on his desk, his blue eyes staring at absolutely nothing. Then there was one black-haired girl who was occasionally stealing glances at the blond, wishing he would meet her gaze and give her his signature foxy grin so that everything would be alright again.

Iruka's small smile faded slowly as remembrances of the events of the previous night came flooding back into his mind. He sighed to himself as he grabbed the papers that listed the genin teams. "Alright everyone! Please grab a seat! We are about to begin your genin orientation!"

Once his words had registered, all the children quickly filed into chairs as they waited patiently for their previous instructor's introduction.

"Now, before I begin," Iruka started as he cleared his throat. "I would first like to say that it has been an honor to teach you all. I have watched you all grow as students, and I hope that you all continue to grow as shinobi for our village. I am very proud of everyone in this room, and I hope that each and every one of you continues to be outstanding. Congratulations, everyone."

Cheers of excitement and gratitude erupted around the room, fists of triumph and claps of happiness exploding throughout the crowd of students. Suki gave a tiny smile in joy as she thought of the fact of how she was a ninja now. However, Naruto barely moved at all from his desolate position of leaning on his arms.

Iruka sighed again as he held the official papers in his hand. "Anyway, now that you all have graduated to the genin level, each of you will be assigned into a team consisting of three genin and one jounin instructor."

Immediately, shouts of protest replaced the calls of glee from only moments before. Some children stood up from the seats in anger while others threw accusing fingers at their old teacher.

"What is this garbage?"

"Yeah? Why can't we go on real missions?"

"Why do we need an instructor?"

"We're real ninja now! We don't need a teacher!"

The chuunin's mouth twitched in annoyance as he yelled out to the class, "Would you all hush up for one minute?" He had his hands on his hips, and he was leaning forward to glare at the entire room. Slowly, the genin eased back into the seats, frightened by their sensei's outburst. Iruka nodded firmly as he relaxed out of his opposing stance. "As I was saying, you all will be placed into teams. You guys are only genin, which means you're all rookies, so placing you into teams will help to balance out each other's strengths and weaknesses. A jounin is required for each team so that you all will be in line when you're on missions or to help with training."

Nods of understanding went around the classroom. Any frustration that had suddenly appeared was slowly dying out as the genin relaxed back into their chairs, waiting for the sensei to continue.

"Now, I'm going to read off the names of the teams. There are exactly thirty of you, so each team will have three genin," Iruka stated as he held the papers in front of his face. "Team 1…"

Suki exhaled as she leaned her weight onto her arms. Her left hand subconsciously began to fidget with the bandage around her head. _*Stop that,*_ Kinmaru scolded. The girl was startled from the absentminded action, but she obeyed her animal guide. After a few more moments, she began to play with the wrappings that covered her Guardian mark. _*Stop it,* _the hawk hissed in her head.

The black-haired girl shot her bird a slightly annoyed look. She was about to yell at him using their mind connection, but Iruka's voice interrupted her.

"Team 7 will consist of… Naruto Uzumaki…" Iruka began.

Suki instantly sat up in her seat. The blond may not want to be around her, but that didn't mean she didn't care about him any less. She wanted more than anything to be on the same team as her friend. Maybe they could even patch things up if they spent enough time together.

"Sakura Haruno…"

_"Please…"_ Suki silently pleaded. She knew Naruto had a crush on the pink-haired girl, which could cause some issues if she wanted to win back her best friend. But she could make it work, if only Iruka said her name next…

"And Sasuke Uchiha."

The Guardian felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. This was twice in less than twenty-four hours that she felt like she was being trampled over and stepped on. First her best friend finding out she was the sacred protector, and now she couldn't even be on the same team with him. Her life seemed to be going steadily downhill…

"Psst," a sudden whisper startled Suki from her depressed reflections.

She nearly jumped out of her seat, but she glanced to her right to see a boy she knew as Shikamaru Nara. He was wearing brown shorts and a fish net shirt underneath a small grayish jacket. His dark brown hair was tied into a high ponytail so that the ends of his hair spiked upwards. His lazy deep chocolate eyes stared at her with a mixture of laziness and calculation; only he could pull off an expression like that.

"Isn't Naruto your best friend?" he asked.

Suki blinked in surprise as she stared at him. "Um… I guess?" _"Or he was…"_ "Why do you want to know?"

"Why aren't you sitting with him?" he inquired, countering her question with another question.

"Uh…" she stammered helplessly as she glanced between the depressed blond to the boy sitting next to her. "There… There just weren't enough seats for us to sit together…" Shikamaru gave her a disbelieving look before he huffed to himself and then looked back down to Iruka.

"Team 8… Shino Aburame…" Iruka continued, completely oblivious to the conversation going on in the back of the room. "Kiba Inuzuka… and Hinata Hyuuga."

The girl sighed in defeat. Even though Kiba and Hinata hadn't really talked to her in nearly five years, it would have been nice to be on a team with them. At least she actually knew them, if only a couple days' worth. She didn't even really know anyone else in the class except for some of their names.

"Team 9… Suki Kurohoshi…" Said girl's silver eyes widened as she instinctively moved to the edge of her seat, waiting for the names of her new teammates. "Haruki Senshi… and Michiko Bokusouchi."

The Guardian bit her lip as she looked around the room. Those two names were not as familiar to her. She had heard of them, but at this moment, she couldn't exactly place the names with the faces. A frown etched itself across her face as she gave up on trying to find her new teammates. She would meet them eventually anyway…

"And the last team, Team 10, is Shikamaru Nara… Ino Yamanaka… and Chouji Akimichi," Iruka said, placing the papers away as he finished with the names.

"Gah? I'm stuck with lazy butt over here and chubby cheeks while Sakura gets the hot Sasuke? Where is the justice in this world?" Ino's loud voice shrieked across the room.

Suki couldn't help but smile as she looked at the blonde girl beside Shikamaru. The lazy boy seemed to be attempting to block the female out by covering his head with his arms… or maybe he was just trying to take a nap.

_*My goodness… That girl's got quite a voice on her…*_ Kinmaru mumbled as he shook his feathers out in irritation at the volume of the loud yelling coming from the Yamanaka.

"Alright, most of the jounin instructors are here," the chuunin said from the front of the room. "They'll be coming in one by one to collect you guys. If your jounin isn't here yet, just remain seated."

One by one, high-leveled shinobi walked through the sliding door to collect their new genin squads. The black-haired female watched as students filed out of the room with their new teachers. She quietly wondered when her father would show up. She doubted he was her instructor, since she didn't think they would allow a father and daughter to be apart of the same squad. But she was curious as to who was on his team.

The next ninja who walked in made Suki's eyes widen slightly. This jounin had short dark brown hair that hung loosely to frame his face, and his skin tone was very fair. He was wearing navy blue pants, a light blue T-shirt, and an unzipped jacket that was a darker shade of blue than the shirt but lighter than the pants.

But what really intrigued Suki was the fact that his ninja forehead protector was tied around his eyes. _"Is he…?"_

_*Yes, he is blind,*_ Kinmaru replied to her unfinished question. _*Wearing the headband around the eyes generally means that the shinobi is blind.*_

"Whoa…" she whispered in awe.

The ninja at the front of the room lifted his head in the direction of the desks. "Team 9?"

Suki subconsciously gulped as she stood up from her seat with her faithful hawk on her shoulder. As she walked down the stairs towards her new sensei, a light stutter interrupted her. She turned around to see Hinata looking up at her with nervous pale eyes.

"S-Suki?" the Hyuuga stuttered anxiously.

The other girl blinked in shock. "Uh… yes?" she replied cautiously.

"U-Um… Are y-you and N-Naruto a-alright?" the indigo-haired girl inquired as she averted her eyes, afraid to hold their gaze.

"Oh…" Suki responded blankly as she rubbed her arm apprehensively. "I don't know…"

Hinata frowned, feeling a wave of sadness for her two old friends. "I-I hope you t-two work it o-out."

"Yeah… me too," the Guardian sighed. She plastered a nice smile on her face as she looked back to her previous friend. "Congratulations on passing and being on a team with Kiba. You're lucky to be with someone you already know."

"Y-Yes," the shy girl nodded. The two females simultaneously looked over to see the dog ninja and his pup chatting with one of the other Academy graduates.

"Oi, girl with the bird," the blind man called out. Suki instantly turned to see him waiting by the door with her two other teammates. "Keep up. I don't want to have to come back looking for you."

The raven-haired female slowly approached her teacher, cautiously walking up to him and the other genin. She was nervous that she was already on bad terms with him, which would be horribly counterproductive on her part.

However, he astonished her when he grinned at her and clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Lighten up, kid. I'm only joking. No need to be so scared."

Suki instantly felt a flood of relief flow through her, and she let a smile grace her lips as she followed her team out the door toward their sensei's selected meeting place.

* * *

The wind blew softly through the trees, and the leaves rustled with the gentle breeze. The grass was lush and soft as one man stood upon it in his usual place. With the sun shining brightly to give him sufficient light, names on the carved block of stone reflected into his vision. One specific name stood out to him, a name that was all too familiar to him.

"How are you, Obito?" Kakashi asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

The whispering wind was his reply.

"Suki is fine… technically, I suppose," the man sighed. "Her best friend, Naruto, discovered that she is the Guardian. He didn't take it too well." A moment of silence passed as the jounin collected his thoughts. "I wish more than anything that I could help her with this. It hurts me to see her so sad and upset."

Kakashi turned his head to the sky, letting his eye close as he welcomed the cool air on the exposed skin of his face. After feeling his already messy hair move with the gust, he turned back to stare at the name.

"Sometimes I wonder if I was right to adopt her. Sometimes being a father makes me wonder if I made the right decision that day…" he mumbled almost inaudibly.

A harsher breeze picked up around him, throwing his silver hair all over the place.

He let out a dry chuckle at the response he received. "I know you think I was right. But at times like this, I don't know how else to help her. I never thought I would ever be a family man. Now here I am, an adopted daughter living at home with me. And a girl with an awful past life to deal with along with it."

A much softer wind licked at the jounin's clothes, and Kakashi could almost hear his old friend lowering his loud voice to be a bit more considerate with responding.

"She is becoming quite a phenomenal girl though," the ninja said. "You would be amazed with her… and I'm sure you would crack a few jokes about me being a decent father. And you would name yourself Uncle Obito…" The silver-haired man took this chance to look up at the sun, and he frowned beneath his mask. "Hmm, I'm already late. Well… I guess I shouldn't make those kids wait too long…" He turned to look one last time at the memorial stone, and he gave a firm nod in goodbye. "I will talk to you later, Obito." And with that, he turned away to lazily walk back to the Academy building.

* * *

"Alright everyone, take a seat," the teacher said as he gestured to the grassy ground. Team 9 was currently located by the edge of the forest, where the busy parts of the town ended and the scenic area began.

The man leaned against a tree with his arms casually crossed over his chest. His head was pointed towards the three students, which meant that even though he couldn't see them, he still knew they were all there. The trio of genin sat down on the grass as they looked up to their sensei expectantly.

"Well then, to begin, I'm supposed to ask you guys to introduce yourselves," the jounin said. "So, how about it then? Anyone want to start?"

"This is stupid…" the boy of the group, Haruki Senshi, muttered. His hair was black with deep purple highlights, and his eyes were purple with an onyx pupil. He had fairly tan skin. He was donning a black tank top and black pants. He had black sleeves that reached up just passed his elbows. A white belt was fastened around his waist. His ninja headband was tied on his left sleeve.

The sensei leaned down to stare into the boy's face. "You say stupid, I say genius. So, how about it, eh? Who wants to start?"

"Sensei, shouldn't you start? I don't trust giving my name without knowing yours," the second girl, Michiko Bokusouchi, countered. She had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a dark purple sleeveless shirt and a fish net shirt underneath. She had a light purple sash around her waist and matching sleeves that reached up to her elbows. She also had metal guards tied to her sleeves and black pants. Her ninja headband was tied loosely around her neck.

"Well, I mean, if you really want," the jounin grinned. "Alright guys. My name is Deno Hyuuga. I enjoy training and teaching younger shinobi. I dislike it when people use the word stupid…" He took this chance to give a smirk in Haruki's direction, who looked away in irritation. "As for dreams… well, I guess I'd have to say just watching my students succeed as shinobi. And… yeah, that pretty much sums it up about me. Any other questions?"

Michiko instantly raised her hand, and Deno nodded to her, telling her to continue. "Were you born blind?"

Suki gawked at the audacity of the other girl while Haruki shot her an annoyed glance. "Idiot, you don't ask a blind man questions about being blind."

"Haha!" the higher-ranked ninja laughed. "You've got spunk, I like it." Michiko took this chance to stick her tongue out at Haruki, who merely rolled his eyes. "Well anyway, to answer your question, no, I was not born blind. I experienced an accident when I was five." He held his hands up welcomingly as he looked between the three genin. "So? Who's next?"

"I'll go," Michiko volunteered. She coughed a bit to clear her voice, and she glanced about the group to make sure she had everyone's attention. "My name is Michiko Bokusouchi. I like spending my time in forests, since they're the only place where I can find peace. I dislike annoying people and ego maniacs. My dream is to surpass my older brother and sister in using our clan's kekkei genkai."

"Nice," Deno commented. He looked over in the boy's direction as he said, "So how about you, Mr. Grumpy?"

Haruki sighed in annoyance as he crossed his arms. "My name is Haruki Senshi. I like peace and quiet. I dislike it when people bother me, since I enjoy being left alone. I also dislike it when people get in my way. My dream is to master my kekkei genkai and make my father proud."

"Alright," the jounin nodded. "And we have our last member," he announced as he gestured to the final teammate.

The raven-haired girl gulped as she began her introduction. "I am Suki Kurohoshi, and this is my hawk, Kinmaru. I like training with him, since he helps me a lot. I dislike people who are mean to others for no valid reason. My dream is to be able to protect those who I care about."

Deno nodded his head. _"Quite a batch this year. One excited yet feisty kunoichi, a brooding yet ambitious boy, and… the future Guardian… Well, this could get interesting." _ He stepped forward as he removed the official documents from his inside jacket pocket. He handed one form to each student, and he received three simultaneously confused stares.

"Um… Deno-sensei? What is this?" Suki asked in confusion as she read through the piece of paper.

"The checklist for your preparation for tomorrow," the brown-haired man replied.

"What's tomorrow?" the purple-eyed boy asked suspiciously.

Deno stared at his students blankly before a look of bewilderment crossed over his facial features. "What do you mean what's tomorrow?"

"Is there something special that we should know about for tomorrow?" Michiko inquired skeptically.

"You mean they didn't tell you?" the jounin asked.

"Who didn't tell us what?" Haruki asked, his voice rising as intense mistrust coursed through him.

Deno face-palmed. "My goodness. Those lazy bums at the Academy really don't do anything anymore, do they?" he mumbled. "Who was your teacher?"

"Iruka-sensei," Suki replied.

"Why? What is going on?" the brown-haired girl shouted in confused outrage.

The blind male sighed nervously as he rubbed the back of his brown head timidly. "Well… hehe…" he chuckled sheepishly, "the thing is… oh man, I didn't want to be the one to tell this to you guys…"

"What are you talking about, sensei?" the silver-eyed girl inquired, frightened of the response. Kinmaru fidgeted nervously upon her shoulder, though for what exact reason, the sacred protector wasn't exactly sure.

Deno groaned in defeat as he ruffled his flat hair. "Alright, here's the deal. You guys aren't technically genin yet."

The trio of graduates stared at their new instructor blankly. Michiko was the first to react to this new and random bit of information. "What are you talking about? Do you not see these spanking new forehead protectors?"

"Unfortunately, the shinobi headband doesn't mean anything until you pass a certain… test," Deno answered, a sad smile on his face.

"Test? I thought we were done with tests," the purple-haired boy said, casting a harsh glower at his sensei, doubt written clearly on his face.

The older man shook his head. "It's not just any test. It's more like… training, I guess you could say."

"Is it a fun training?" the brown-eyed girl asked hopefully.

"Not really," Deno chuckled.

"Then why are you laughing?" Michiko asked accusingly as she pointed a menacing finger in his direction.

"Eh… hehe… because the funny part is…" the jounin started, "is that it's actually called survival training. And there's a reason for that."

"Which is?" Haruki asked.

Deno smiled a devious smirk that sent nervous shivers down the children's spines. "It's called survival training because the results of this test will determine whether you guys remain as genin or go back to the Academy."

Several gapes appeared amongst the group as the genin stared at the jounin incredulously. Haruki's normally impassive face was replaced with a near sobbing expression. Michiko looked about ready to scream in despair.

Suki could only gawk in astonishment. Thoughts of her own father, as a jounin instructor, and how he had never had a genin squad before finally started making sense. He must have failed them all. She whimpered in despair about how he hadn't warned her that she might be sent back to the Academy; she knew it would be against the rules he if he clued her in on the survival training, but it still would have been nice if he at least notified her at least a little.

The brown and gold-feathered hawk twitched on her shoulder, and the girl glanced at him to see if he was just as nervous as she was. But she was surprised to see that he appeared relatively calm. She wasn't able to read his thoughts at that moment, for he seemed to be closing off his mind for now. But she silently wondered if he also knew of this survival training and didn't bother to tell her. She would have to ask him about that later.

"So, based on how well we do will determine if we remain as genin?" the Senshi asked, narrowing his purple eyes in skepticism.

"Correct," Deno nodded. "There were thirty graduates this year, and we want only four teams, which means that sixty percent of the teams will be sent back to the Ninja Academy."

"What kind of odds are those?" Michiko asked in shock.

The older male shrugged. "That's just how it is. So if you want to keep those 'spanking new forehead protectors', you all will have to pass this training."

Suki subconsciously fingered the blue cloth that was wrapped around her head, and her fingers brushed against the carved symbol of the Konohagakure insignia on the metal plate. She gulped at the odds faced against her and her team.

"The form I passed out to you guys is a list of jutsu, weapons, and other stuff that you guys should have in your arsenal to be prepared for tomorrow," Deno added.

"Do we at least get to know what kind of training we'll be going through?" Suki asked, her voice hopeful.

The elite ninja fingered his chin in thought before he grinned mischievously. "Nah, it'll be a surprise for you guys. That kind of information is for me to know and for you all to find out.

"I bet that means you haven't figured out what kind of test it'll be yet," Michiko remarked smartly as she sent an annoyed glance at her sensei.

"Haha," the man chuckled. "Either way, it'll be more fun for me than you guys. Remember that. I expect to see you all bright and early at six in the morning, right at sunrise." He made a hand sign just before giving one last smile at his new team. "Until then, Team 9. And uh… don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You guys might puke if you do, and I don't clean that stuff." And in a poof of smoke, he was gone.

The three graduated students glanced around each other, waiting for someone to break the tense silence that had arisen when their teacher had abandoned them. "So…" Michiko broke the quietness, "anyone want to grab a bite to eat?"

"You're really thinking of food at a time like this?" Haruki asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, survival training sounds scary. And if we can't have breakfast tomorrow, I'd like to stock up on my meals today," the purple-clad girl replied smartly.

"It does sound like a good idea," Suki said before she frowned sadly. "But I have to go meet my dad at home."

"And I'm just not interested," the boy of the group said as he stood up to leave.

Michiko's eyebrow twitched as she watched the male walk away. "Fine, I wouldn't want to have lunch with a party pooper like you anyway." She turned to look back at the other girl, a smile replacing the previously offending look she had been sending towards Haruki's retreating back. "But how about we all get together tomorrow after the training? It'll be a nice celebration for when we pass."

Suki looked at the confident girl before her in bewilderment. "Don't you mean if we pass?"

"No, I know we'll pass," the brown-haired girl smirked. "Our team will be awesome tomorrow, so long as Mr. Grumpy Pants fixes his attitude by sunrise."

The Kurohoshi girl giggled. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup! See you!" Michiko waved as she walked in the opposite direction of her fellow kunoichi.

Suki smiled to herself as she walked away with Kinmaru in tow. She hoped that she would pass the survival training so she could remain a ninja. Then maybe she would get to make friends with her teammates.

* * *

Kakashi walked into the Hokage's Tower toward the shinobi office, where the assignments, important documents, and schedules were held. There were a couple chuunin in charge of keeping all the office work in check behind the desks while other shinobi filed in and out to check their agendas and see if there were any updates that were necessary to check. It was already well into the afternoon, which meant that it was a rather busy time of the day. Ninja were walking in and out of this office, either dropping off mission completion forms or picking up information for their assignments.

The silver-haired ninja walked up to one desk and dropped off the attendance sheet of his genin squad. As the jounin instructor, he had been asked to keep an attendance sheet of his genin just to make sure they showed up. He had to sign off and agree to be their instructor and then sign some other forms that centered on the survival training. He mentally sighed in relief once he was finally able to hand in the documents to the office.

His team this year consisted of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and… Naruto Uzumaki. One of the last surviving members of the legendary Uchiha clan, an intelligent yet crazed fan girl of said Uchiha, and the boy who crushed his daughter's heart by destroying their friendship. Kakashi wondered if this team would be just like his other squads from previous years: stupid, airheaded, and dumb. He would just have to wait and find out.

As he handed the piece of paper into the chuunin in charge of the office, a familiar yet unexpected voice called out to him. "Kakashi Hatake. It sure has been a while, hasn't it?"

The jounin turned around slowly, his onyx eye searching for the keeper of the voice. He smiled when he recognized his old friend. "Deno Hyuuga. It definitely has been a few years since I saw you last."

"Five, to be exact," the blind jounin grinned. The two men eagerly shook hands, welcoming the other with equal friendship. "Dropping off your jounin instructor paperwork?"

"Actually, yes," Kakashi replied. "Which means I am done for the day. I was just going to head home and see how Suki's first day as a genin went."

"Heh, you never told her of the survival training, right?" the Hyuuga asked.

"As much as I wanted to, I knew it wouldn't be exactly fair to her teammates or instructor," the twenty-seven-year-old responded.

"Hmm," the twenty-two-year-old hummed to himself as he walked passed his old ANBU captain to hand in his forms. "We really do need to get together sometime, Kakashi. We have loads to talk about."

"Of course," the silver-haired male commented. "So, I heard none of your genin squads have ever passed."

"That's right," Deno smirked as he turned to look back at his senior. "I'm hardcore, though not nearly as legendary as the Copy Ninja of the Leaf and his tricky methods."

Kakashi shrugged. "Whatever those kids need to get the right idea of being a shinobi into their heads, it should be worth it in the end. Though I can't say I've ever met a team that was worthy enough."

"Same," the blind man nodded in agreement. "But I have a feeling this year will be different, or at least I hope so in my case."

The masked man raised a silver brow in question. "Really?"

"Yup," Deno replied with a small smile. "Because I happen to have the daughter of an old friend of mine. I have a bit of faith that she has learned something from her father, since he was a renowned ANBU captain of the Leaf."

Kakashi's eye widened. "Suki's on your team?"

The man with the headband around his eyes nodded in confirmation. "Yes." He didn't need his eyesight to know that his friend was trying to come up with what to say next or to see the pained and conflicting expression on his masked face. "Kakashi, I foresee great things for your daughter. She'll be fine," he said. "But if you're debating whether or not to ask me to go easy on her, then please don't. You and I both know from experience that hardships aren't learned the easy way."

Deno heard his comrade sigh in defeat. "You're right. It would be unbeneficial for her if I asked you to pass her."

The Hyuuga gave a genuine smile. "Don't worry about her so much. She'll be a great kunoichi, whether she passes as a member of my squad or the next."

Kakashi let a smile spread upon his own face, though the mask prevented anyone from seeing it anyway. He placed his hand on the other man's shoulder as a manly sign of friendship. "It was nice seeing you, Deno."

"And you too, friend," the brown-haired male replied as he clamped his hand on Kakashi's shoulder in return.

With those last words of farewell, the two men went their separate ways toward their homes, already anticipating the results of the survival test for the next day. Though both men had their hopes and expectations, they knew that whatever happened was for the best.

_"It is what it is," _both men seemed to think simultaneously.


	13. I'll Make a Man Out of You

**Alright, I'm going to warn you guys now. The idea of the survival training for Suki's team is relatively complicated. I don't know why I made it so difficult to understand, but it came to me and I couldn't help but use it. I just feel like it's unnecessarily complicated, though it really might not be. You guys will have to tell me if it is.**

**Thank you guys for the awesome feedback so far! I really appreciate it very much!**

**The title of this chapter is I'll Make a Man Out of You, based on Disney's Mulan. I love that song, it's so amazing, and I just _had_ to use it for Suki's survival training ;) **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

The following morning, the sun sluggishly rose above the horizon, steadily pushing away the night's darkness. The oranges and reds of the sunlight mixed with the fading blacks and purples of the shadows, creating a colorful image that artists wish they could imitate. The cool wind blew soothingly against Konohagakure's various trees, rustling the leaves and moving the branches ever so gently.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, light streamed into the windows of the Konoha citizens, arousing a few early birds to rise. One particular person was already awake, sitting at the kitchen table with a frown on her young face.

Her stomach quietly rumbled, causing an aching sensation to fill her lower abdomen. Her frown deepened. "Can't I just have a piece of fruit or something?"

Kinmaru, who had been cleaning his feathers on the opposite side of the table, looked up at her with disapproving golden eyes. _*Suki, your sensei left clear instructions to not eat anything, lest you barf all over the training grounds.*_

"But I'm starving," the twelve-year-old kunoichi mumbled distraughtly. "And besides, I haven't thrown up ever in my life."

_*There's a first time for everything,*_ the bird replied easily as he went back to picking at his ruffled feathers with his beak.

The girl glared with silver orbs at her companion before slumping back into her wooden chair. She glanced over at the clock that hung high on the wall, and a sigh escaped her lips. "Well, what am I going to do for the next fifteen minutes before I leave? The fruit bowl is going to be taunting me until then."

_*Then why did you get up so early?*_ the hawk inquired smartly, not even bothering to look up this time as he kept his head low to finish cleaning his gold and brown feathers.

"I had trouble sleeping. I was so nervous for today," Suki admitted as she massaged her temples, hoping to ease the growing headache.

This made Kinmaru halt in his feather-cleaning, and he looked up with concerned yet piercing eyes at his partner. He gently hobbled over to stand closer to her, a frown etched into his beak. _*Two nights in a row without decent sleep? Suki, you have to be careful…*_

A yawn escaped her before she could stop it, and she mentally hissed at herself for showing signs of fatigue before even arriving at the training grounds for her survival test. "I know…" she mumbled.

The animal guide eyed the young protector warily, taking in her appearance. She looked much better now than she did the previous morning. Her hair was tied into a neater ponytail, and her clothes were not as wrinkled or tear-stained as the day before. Her complexion had improved as well, for she hadn't cried in the last twenty-four hours, though there were still black bags under her eyes. Other than the signs of tiredness, she seemed to be holding up rather well. But both he and the kunoichi knew that her exhaustion could very well cost her the entire test.

But just before the animal could voice his worries pertaining to her sleepiness, the female cut him off. "Kinmaru…" Suki began with a confused expression across her face, "did you know… about the survival training?"

The bird blinked in surprise before he looked away in shame. It was rather hard for him to keep secrets from her, especially since he was psychically her other half. He could never find a decent way to keep a secret from her. _*Yes…*_

The Kurohoshi frowned as she stared at her hawk. Her eyes attempted to meet his, but he turned away guiltily, breaking any chance of keeping eye contact with her. "How did you know? And why didn't you tell me?"

_*I've picked up on a few things in my time staying here,*_ the feathered creature replied, his mental voice sounding quiet with his guilt of deceit. _*I asked Kakashi about it a while back, and he told me how the training was used to see if the genin were good enough to remain in the ranks.*_ He solemnly glanced over to the twelve-year-old, his golden eyes clearly portraying his remorse. _*I'm sorry for not telling you, but I wasn't allowed to until your jounin teacher told you first.*_

Suki's frown had not left her face until she heard the genuine apology from her guide. Her expression turned into an appreciative smile, and her hand gently patted her bird on the head. "It's alright. You were just following the rules. I can't be mad at you for that."

Despite the blow to his ego at being petted on the head like a common animal, he treasured the girl's affection whenever she gave it. She often referred to him as the bossy older brother she never had, and even though she would always say it with an annoyed tone, the love was always there as well. Whenever she showed her care towards him, he felt content, for he always felt some sort of dread for ruining her life. Or that's how he saw it, since she had had a nice life with Kakashi before the Guardian business had reappeared.

A few moments later, the man of the household sluggishly strolled into the kitchen, hands shoved lazily into his black slacks. Even though he was fully dressed in his jounin gear, he gave off the appearance of just rolling out of bed a few minutes prior. The preteen briefly wondered if that was the case.

"Good morning, Suki and Kinmaru" Kakashi greeted as he kissed his daughter on the top of her head, being careful to avoid the bandage around the gash that she had received a couple nights ago.

"Good morning, Daddy," the girl replied.

_*Morning, Kakashi,*_ the bird responded.

The jounin's onyx eye momentarily looked to the clock on the wall, and his silver brow perked up in expectance and confusion. "Suki, shouldn't you be leaving soon?"

The raven-haired female looked at the timekeeper as well, and she nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, I suppose I'll go now." She stood up and stretched her arms above her wounded head, ignoring the unsettling grumble emanating from her stomach. She frowned as she looked at her father, who was drinking a cup of tea. "But shouldn't you be meeting your team as well?"

Kakashi waved a dismissive hand as he replaced his mask over his scarred face. "I can't even remember the last time I was on time for meeting my genin kids."

Suki giggled at her father's words, instantly realizing that he had probably never been on time to meet any squad ever. She was about to bid her father goodbye when a sudden thought struck her. "Daddy?" The jounin looked up from the sink to stare at his daughter quizzically, so she continued. "Why didn't you warn me that I could be sent back to the Academy?"

The silver-haired ninja frowned beneath his black mask before he turned the sink water off and moved to sit beside his daughter at the table. "I couldn't tell you because it would give you an unfair advantage over the other graduates."

"But…" the girl managed to stammer out, "how come you never told me you always fail _your_ genin teams?"

Kakashi sighed as he leaned against the back of his chair. "So you figured it out, huh?"

"It wasn't exactly that hard once my sensei told us that new genin are failed if they don't pass the survival training," the silver-eyed female remarked as she stared at her father's unreadable expression.

The Hatake let a chuckle escape his lips. "Hehe, well, I never saw any of my teams as worthy enough to pass. As for not telling you… well… you never asked."

Suki furrowed her eyebrows as she sent a mock glare at him. A frown stretched across her face as she looked at him, sudden worry seeming to appear out of nowhere. "Daddy… Do you think I'll pass?"

Kakashi, surprised at her rapid change of moods, looked at her sadly. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he chose his words carefully. "I think you have great potential to be an amazing kunoichi. As long as you do your best, then you can't ask for more. But no matter what happens today, it is meant to be. Either way, pass or fail, you'll be an excellent ninja… and a great Guardian."

Her frown did not disappear, as she wasn't sure if she could pick the assurance from his words. Yet, she didn't expect too much sugarcoating from him; her father had never been one to mince words. But she did find some security in what he said, and she vowed to do her best to give his statements justice.

"Now, you need to get going, so hurry up, and don't be late," Kakashi reminded as he pointed to the clock.

She couldn't help the smile that appeared across her lips. "Are you really one to teach me about tardiness?"

Kakashi perked an eyebrow at her before he pointed to the door. A hint of humor could be heard in his voice as he ordered, "Go."

Suki laughed melodiously as she kissed her father on his masked cheek and bolted toward the door, the brown and gold blur that was her animal partner soaring behind her. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Goodbye, Suki. Good luck," he called after her.

"Thanks!" she yelled back, and then the sound of the door closing behind her told the man that she was gone.

The jounin sighed to himself, concern filling him. Even Deno's encouraging words from the day before could not help to reassure him, and yet, he had built up a decent enough speech to support his daughter into doing well during the test. Now he had to find a way to assure himself that she would be fine. He shook his head roughly as he scratched the back of his silver head. At least for now, he would need to focus on his own task and let Suki handle her own well-being by herself.

* * *

Just as Deno-sensei's document had ordered, Suki and Kinmaru headed for Training Grounds 5. It was similar to every other area used for shinobi training: a vast clearing with well-cut grass and the forest running amuck with trees on either side of the huge field. The woods closed around the area to create a circular field with trees as the perimeter.

Suki approached the center of the field while the hawk soared gracefully above her head. As the sun peeked gently over the tree canopies, the orange light casted a slight glow over the meadow. It was then that the girl saw her teammate, Haruki, seated in the center of the grass, cross-legged and eyes closed with his hands in the chakra seal, meditating.

The female was quite taken aback to see someone else her age meditating. She knew that elder shinobi would do it once they were wiser and knew how to do it right, but children were usually never able to master meditation; they just didn't have the patience. The only reason why she would ever engage in such an action was because Kinmaru had taught her how to focus her energy to utilize her Guardian powers. To say the least, she was surprised to see that another genin had taken up the art of meditation and even seemed a master at it as well.

Quietly, the sacred protector softly approached her comrade and sat down a few feet away from, so as not to disturb his peace. She averted her eyes to stare at the horizon beyond the forest, making sure she didn't watch the boy. He could most likely sense her presence, and she didn't want to ruin his concentration any further by making him uncomfortable with her staring at him.

However, after only a few moments after she had sat down, he sighed heavily and opened his eyes, letting his hands fall out of the sign that he had been holding. His purple eyes looked over to her, and she felt herself become uncomfortable from his piercing stare.

"Your presence has disturbed my balance," he said, his voice portraying a tone of neither anger nor lightheartedness. His indifference made her shrink nervously into her shoulders.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Suki whispered as she looked away in guilt and shame.

She could feel his studying eyes on her form, and she felt herself grow even more nervous. She heard a sigh escape his lips again, and she glanced at him anxiously. "You don't need to apologize. You would have come here sooner or later anyway," he commented. Suki relaxed when she heard the calmness in his voice, and she took that as a sign that he was happy, rather than stoic and angry. "I'd rather have your tranquil energy disturb my concentration than Michiko's outlandish aura."

The kunoichi blinked her silver eyes in surprise at his words before she glared at him. "That's just the way she is. You don't need to be mean about it."

"Well, her bouncing personality needs to be as far away from me as possible," Haruki replied as he stood up.

Suki's glare did not lighten, and she stood up as well to almost match the boy's height. "You shouldn't be talking about her like that. That's not very nice."

The Senshi heir gave the girl before him an indifferent stare as he cocked his eyebrow at her behavior. He had underestimated her peaceful personality; she definitely had some fighting spirit in there, even if she didn't appear too fond of quarrels.

"Alright, whatever," he sighed as he turned away.

The Guardian was not satisfied with his curt reply, and she was about to retort to his statement, but she was interrupted by a loud greeting. "Good morning, beautiful people!" Michiko's voice rang out cheerily. The two genin turned to see their teammate walking up to them, hands on her hips, a big grin on her face. "How is everyone this fine day?"

"Oh jeez, she's a morning person…" Haruki mumbled as he shook his head in growing exasperation.

"Hmm, well it looks like Mr. Grumpy hasn't lightened up any," the new arrival said disapprovingly. "And by the way, I have never been, nor will I ever be, a morning person. But today's a big day, and the last thing I should be is miserable… like a certain boy that's standing in this very field."

Haruki turned back to the brown-haired girl, a stoic expression on his face. "I am not miserable. I just take the world seriously, which is more than what I could say for you."

Suki was about to defend her new comrade by arguing with the boy, but Michiko cut her off by laughing. "Haha, but taking the world seriously is no fun at all."

The two other rookies looked at the giggling girl in surprise at her lighthearted nature. "So…" Haruki began in mild confusion, "you think you can get away with goofing off all the time?"

"I didn't say that, but I guess I'm a bit more laid back than you obviously are," Michiko sighed as she finished with her laughing fit. Once the smile had disappeared, she looked to Haruki with seriousness in her brown orbs. "I don't, however, appreciate your harsh judgment. If you're going to critique me, base it off of what learn about me, not what you see. I don't need another overbearing condemnatory person in my life."

Haruki's purple eyes narrowed into a harsh glower. "Then take your own advice, and don't pretend that you're comfortable enough with me to analyze who you think I am. Because I don't need another disapproving person involved with my business."

Suki's jaw slightly dropped as she stood off to the side with Kinmaru on her shoulder. She could practically feel the growing anger radiating off of her two new teammates. Haruki's indifference and Michiko's lightheartedness were slowly dying out as they sent each other ferocious glares. The sacred protector glanced to her animal guide for assistance, but he proved to be no help at all when he merely looked at her and shrugged his feathery shoulders.

She sighed helplessly as she looked back to her comrades, who were now engaging in an intense staring contest. "Um… guys?" she started nervously, taking a hesitant step toward them. Her timid voice was surprisingly able to catch the two other people's attentions, and they turned to her in expectance. "Uh… well, I… don't think we should be fighting…" She had hoped that those words would be enough to settle the disputes, but apparently not, as they continued to stare at her in anticipation. "Because… well, we'll probably have to work together to complete this test. We all want to pass, so we might as well work together to complete our goals. If we want to be a good team, we have to have good teamwork."

Haruki and Michiko gazed at the other girl in shock, and after her words registered, they slowly eased out of their arguing stances to relax. The two previously quarrelling people glimpsed at each other with hints of apology written in their eyes, and they both nodded.

"You're right, Suki," the boy sighed guiltily.

"Yeah, sorry you had to see Mr. Grum- um… Haruki's… nasty side," Michiko added. The purple-haired boy looked at her sternly, and she heaved a tired groan. "Fine, mine too…"

The raven-haired genin smiled brightly at the fact that her new friends had actually listened to her and stopped arguing. They even apologized. She looked up to meet the golden eyes of her animal guide, and he nodded his head in approval. A warm feeling of triumph mixed with happiness filled her core, and she couldn't help but brighten her smile.

"Well, well, well," a voice cheerily called out from behind the group of kids. The young shinobi instantly turned to see their sensei advancing towards them, hands in his pockets and his jacket billowing with the breeze. "It seems that you guys have actually made it on time and I'm the one who's almost late."

"Yeah, wait a minute," Michiko scowled, throwing her hands on her hips. "Why are you late, Deno-sensei?"

"Whoa, I'm not even that late, according to my time," Deno instantly replied defensively. "Maybe a minute or so. But it was because I was finishing my… breakfast," he said, smirking when he stated the last word.

Three simultaneous rumbles emitted from three separate stomachs, and the Academy graduates moaned in unison as they clutched their aching tummies. "Can we just move on with this survival test so we can get something to eat?" Michiko mumbled, her anger dissipating as her belly grumbled uncontrollably.

"Now hey, with an attitude like that, there is no way you'll be passing this training," the jounin said. "Focus on the task that I'll be giving you."

"That's what I've been telling her," Haruki murmured off to the side, almost inaudibly. The girl's vicious glare alerted him that she had, in fact, heard his statement.

"Alright then!" Deno exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together once to grab everyone's attention. "Time for me to explain this test."

The trio of genin almost robotically straightened up into professional stances, waiting to hear their instructions. Their faces were lifted of any remaining foolhardiness, and their eyes stared at their teacher with full genuine seriousness.

The former ANBU member smiled as he sensed the earnestness emanating from his students. He wondered if it would be enough to pass his test. "I will only be explaining this once, so pay careful attention. This is a very tricky training, so if you mess up, it will most likely cost you your spot on the team."

Suki couldn't tell how her fellow teammates felt after that last bit of news, but she personally felt as if she was going to collapse and start involuntarily shaking with anxiety. She merely gulped instead, trying to calm her nerves.

Deno reached to the inside of his blue jacket, and his hand emerged with a green flag between his fingers. The Konohagakure insignia was painted in black ink in the center of the rectangular flag. He held it up for his students to see as he spoke. "This is your objective."

The serious stares that the genin had been sporting slowly faded into confusion. "We're playing Capture the Flag?" Suki asked, bewildered.

"Hehe, no, I'm not that nice," the instructor smiled. "No, this is a little different than the child's game." He held the flag in both hands in a horizontal manner, showing off the proud sign of the Fire Country's shinobi village.

"How different?" Michiko asked skeptically, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

Deno inhaled a tiny breath to prepare himself for the explanation, and the genin subconsciously leaned closer to hear what their exercise would entail. "This training is similar to a scavenger hunt. There are six flags scattered around the village, so each of you will be locating two flags for each person." He reached into the other pocket inside his jacket on the opposite side, and he pulled out three separate documents. "On this page are six clues. Each clue will lead you to the location of one flag."

"So we have to solve the riddles in order to find the flags?" Haruki inquired, perking an eyebrow.

The teacher nodded as he said, "Correct. This is a training to test your intellect and your physical abilities as a shinobi."

Suki furrowed her eyebrows at his last words, and she looked at him with confused eyes. "I understand that this will test our intelligence, because of the riddles and all. But how will this test our ninja skills?"

Deno smirked at her question. "You didn't think I would make it so easy that you only had to solve a puzzle, did you?" The trio of children widened their eyes in slight horror, fearfully anticipating his next statement. "There is a special Hyuuga barrier guarding each flag. It's weak enough so that a genin should be able to break it, but if you cannot destroy the seal, then that will tell me that maybe you aren't cut out to be a ninja yet."

"Isn't this training kind of… uh, I don't know… INSANE?" the brown-haired brown-eyed girl said before shrieking the last word in outrage. "What kind of an exercise is this?"

"Oh, it gets better," the elite ninja smirked. "There is one flag that has another Hyuuga seal embedded in it. Don't bother trying to find this special flag or even trying to break the seal. I've specifically made sure that the seal is unbreakable, at least for genin, that is. And it's near impossible to see the seal until it is activated, so trying to figure out which flag has this seal is pointless."

"What is the significance of this sealed flag?" the purple-eyed boy asked.

Deno's smirk transformed into an evil and mischievous grin. "The sealed flag will represent a 'failure', as I like to call it. So it basically counts as a zero. Which means…"

The young sacred protector gawked at this new bit of information. "So if we get the 'failure', our flag count is dropped by one."

"What?" Michiko screamed. "So we could possibly go through all the trouble of getting two flags, only to be penalized by the 'failure'?"

"So does that mean we'll have to get three flags just to be safe?" Haruki asked in shock.

"I never said that," Deno replied curtly, giving a devious little smirk.

It wasn't hard for the three students to catch the implied meaning in his words. If they wanted to pass, they would need at least three flags as a precaution, lest they unknowingly collect the sealed flag. It was a battle to catch the flags before anyone else.

"_Now we'll be working against each other…"_ Suki frowned as this thought suddenly occurred to her. _"So much for teamwork…"_

Deno clapped his hands together once in excitement, gaining the attentions of the trio of worried graduates. "Alright, you all have your clue sheets, you have your instructions, and you know your objective. You have three hours to complete this assignment. At the bottom of the page I've given you is a seventh clue, which will lead you to my location. If you aren't there in three hours, you automatically fail. Everyone understand your mission?"

After a moment's hesitation of absorbing all the information, the rookies nodded their heads.

"Good. This test will either make you a shinobi… or break you as a person. Now…" the jounin smiled encouragingly, "Begin!" The group of preteens instantly leaped away from the field, scattering themselves into different parts of the village, leaving the man to stand in the middle of the meadow for a few moments before he, too, disappeared.

* * *

**I enjoy food, though as a preference, it would have to be those that come straight from the farm.**

**I go with the flow, never really staying in one place too long.**

**One day, my knowledge shall surpass all those who challenge me.**

**If a picture is worth a thousand words, I first need to learn a thousand words.**

**Those who are healthy always take it for granted.**

**I am respected, not for my title, but how I earned it.**

**Final Clue:**

**I overlook that which I protect.**

"How on earth is anyone supposed to figure out any of these riddles?" Suki muttered to herself as she stared at the piece of paper in her hands. Each clue was basically stated in first person, and each was laced with a near impossible puzzle. Trying to figure out what the clues meant was going to be a difficult task all on its own, let alone having to break the barriers to get to the flags.

_*Try thinking outside the box,*_ Kinmaru suggested from upon her shoulder.

"Um… alright," the girl nodded as she stared at the first clue, rereading it to herself over and over again. "Hmm… a farm? So the first flag is at a farm!"

_*Um, Suki?*_ the hawk murmured, _*there are no farms within the boundaries of Konoha.*_

The raven-haired girl instantly frowned. "Oh… right…"

_*So what's the closest thing to a farm?*_ the bird asked, raising an expectant eyebrow at the girl.

The twelve-year-old fingered her chin in wonder, trying to solve the puzzle. After a few moments of silence, she snapped her fingers in excitement. "The farmer's market!" She excitedly sprinted on the ground through the woods, dodging the trees, while Kinmaru flew over her head. As she pushed her legs forward, a grimace appeared across her features. "But wait… there are several farmer markets in the village…"

_*So then what would you need to do?* _Kinmaru asked keenly as he flapped his brown and golden wings.

Suki caught the implied intention in his words, and once she made it out of the forest, she gathered her chakra together. Just as she had done two nights before, she was about to use one of the first Guardian techniques she had learned. Her first sign was the Bird, which dealt with the earth's elements as a whole. Sensing through them was the first step to mastering this animal sign.

She was about to place her hand on the grass by her feet, but Kinmaru was quickly there to bite her fingers away with his beak. The girl yelped in pain as she gave her bird an accusing look. _*I don't want you to focus your chakra into the earth anymore,*_ the bird said as he looked up at her with golden eyes. _*Instead, I want you to focus your energy into your eyes.*_

"What?" Suki asked in bewilderment. She had been using that method for years, and he wanted her to suddenly change it?

_*Well, there is a reason it is called the Eye of the Bird technique,*_ the hawk said with a shrug. _*Focusing your chakra into the earth is the easiest method. However, it is also the most dangerous for you.*_ The Guardian only looked at him in confusion as she waited for him to continue. _*When you focus your chakra into your hands, it leads into the earth. This requires less concentration, which is good for a beginner, but it also drains more chakra because it is not being focused properly. If you focus your energy into your eyes, it will require more concentration, but it will use less chakra.*_

"So you expect me to master this now? Of all times?" Suki asked incredulously, her eyes wide. "I don't think this is the time for a training session, Kinmaru."

The bird simply shrugged at her growing panic. _*Pressure is a good motivator though. I think being in this stressful situation will help you to learn it more quickly.*_

The young sacred protector huffed sadly as she nodded. She put her hands into the sign of the Bird, and instead of focusing her chakra into her hands, she pushed it to her silver eyes. A tingling feeling coursed around in her head, and she felt the sensation build up around her eyes. She gripped that strange feeling and made sure it didn't fade as she cautiously opened her eyelids.

She saw Kinmaru nod his head approvingly as he stood on the ground, looking up to her with proud eyes. Even though Suki was unable to see her own eyes, she could feel a difference to them on her face. Her perception was better, and the shape of them was different.

Her normally round eyes were slanted piercingly diagonally upwards, and the pupils of her silver orbs appeared sharper than usual, giving her a fierce look. Suki furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to comprehend just what had occurred. "What happened to my eyes?"

_*As I said, there is a reason it is called the Eye of the Bird,*_ the hawk smirked. _*Now, hold your chakra there, and blink.*_

The girl obeyed and closed her eyes for second before opening them again. This time, the world appeared in black and white before her. The shapes and forms were the same, but the color seemed to be drained from everything around her. The only thing that was not of a neutral color was the golden-feathered hawk standing in front of her. He was his normal brown and gold color, which somehow made him seem more defined against the plain and bland world.

_*With this advanced version of the jutsu, the world is simplified enough so that only chakra appears before you,*_ Kinmaru informed. _*It does have a range limit, but it will extend the more you practice with it.*_

"Cool…" was all Suki managed to say.

She moved her head slowly around to find her target, and finally, a faint trace of chakra appeared within her vision. It was coming from the busy merchant streets, where the farmer markets rested in the village. Smiling excitedly, she dashed off in that direction, keeping her hawk-like eyes on the prize.

The Guardian rounded a few corners and politely pushed through a few villagers, and at long last, she made it to the first flag. It was nestled in the corner by one of the food stands, hidden from any normal bystanders but close enough that someone would notice her trying to break the barrier.

_*You cannot use any jutsu in this case, Suki,*_ Kinmaru warned as he cautiously looked around at the passing people who sent glares at the young girl. _*Everyone is already shooting you dirty looks, imagine what they will do if you blow up the vegetables and fruits.*_

"I know…" the raven-haired kunoichi muttered nervously, biting her lip in contemplation.

She felt her concentration on her eyes fading a bit as she tried to quickly think up an idea on how to break the blockade without anyone noticing. She urged her silver slanted eyes to focus on the barricade that blocked her from getting the green flag, and she watched the blue chakra flow continuously in a trail from the seal of the barrier.

"Maybe if I…" she murmured quietly to herself.

She reached her hand forward, and her palm and fingers made contact with the invisible force field. The sting of the foreign chakra burned her hands a bit, and she let out a hiss in pain. However, the preteen was determined to break the seal, so she pushed her chakra forward from her core up her arm and into her hand. Her eyes fell back to their normal state due to her intense focus on her new task of breaking the wall.

Her energy clashed with Deno's barrier seal, and the force became a collision between chakras. For a few moments, nothing happened except for Suki pushing her energy against the obstruction, but then suddenly, her hand fell forward without warning. She stumbled over her feet for a moment, and she stared around in confusion.

_*You broke the seal,*_ Kinmaru said happily, looking to the girl with pride in his beady eyes.

It took a minute for Suki to register his words, but when she finally realized what he had said, she smiled brightly. She gleefully turned to the small green flag nesting in the corner of a building wall and the wooden vegetable and fruit stand. The girl quickly snatched the flag and ran out of the crowded streets, clutching her first flag in one hand and the clue sheet in the other.

* * *

Haruki eyed the barrier settled before him, for just beyond the invisible seal was the green flag. He was standing atop the roof of the library; he had just solved the fourth clue. After Deno-sensei had given them the paper with the riddles, he had instantly set to figuring out each and every clue. Using the trained intellect that his father had forced him into, he solved each riddle quickly and effortlessly. It was now just a matter of getting to each flag and breaking the seals before the girls did.

The fourth clue, which had consisted of 'One Thousand Words' had meant he needed to find a dictionary. And there was no better place to find a dictionary, or learn one thousand words, than the Konoha library.

After walking around the entire building, he had finally found the flag isolated in the center of the roof. He was currently fingering his chin in thought, trying to find a way to break the seal.

The boy cautiously reached out to touch the shield, and his hand quickly recoiled as a searing pain shot up his fingers. He growled at the red marks that were now forming from where he had touched the seal. A pout spread across his face as he stood up to loom over the barricade.

In the blink of an eye, his hands flew through various hand seals, finally resting on a unique sign that was special to the Senshi clan. His left hand was in a fist, and the index and middle fingers of his right hand rested on the back of his curled left hand. His spiritual energy moved to the palms of his hands, and he held them parallel to each other.

A black sphere began to form from the air in the center of his encircling hands, blue rings of electrical chakra fizzing around the dense dark circle. "Psychic Style: Shadow Ball Jutsu!"

The sphere shot forward from his hand and collided with the Hyuuga seal. A small explosion occurred from the crash, and thick gray smoke erupted across the rooftop. Haruki coughed as he waved the fog away with his hands. He squinted his purple eyes against the sting of the smoke as he tried to locate the flag.

He smirked when he saw that the flag was unharmed and sensed that the chakra of the seal was no longer existent. He proudly stepped forward and grabbed the green flag, pocketing it for safe keeping.

"One down," he said triumphantly as he headed off for the next location.

* * *

"This list of clues is freaking ridiculous!" Michiko groaned as she stared at the sheet of paper angrily.

The brown-haired girl had not even made it out of the forest, as she didn't know where she was supposed to go. She was wandering around the woods aimlessly, hoping that a sudden miracle would enlighten her and point her in the right direction toward a flag.

Instead, her feet led her to the running river that coursed through the massive forest. She sighed in frustration as she plopped down on the edge of the creek, glaring holes into the clue sheet. When the paper didn't spontaneously combust into flames, she fell backwards to lie in the soft green grass.

"This is hopeless. I am going to fail miserably," Michiko muttered unhappily.

Her brown eyes pointlessly watched the fluffy white clouds above her, drifting slowly and gently along the big blue sky. The Bokusouchi girl sighed as she rubbed her face with her left hand, attempting to massage the growing stress that was forming within her. Her head lolled to the side as she looked at the brook continuing on, the water never ceasing in its flow.

Her observation suddenly stopped when she saw a strange shape in the water. Furrowing her eyebrows, Michiko slowly sat up and crawled to the edge of the river to examine the foreign shape. It was definitely not a rock, since it didn't have the same coloring as the dusty brown stones in the water. It wasn't a fish because it wasn't going anywhere.

Michiko nearly jumped out of her skin in pure glee when she realized that the thing she was staring at was, indeed, a green Konoha flag. "I don't believe it…"

She looked to the piece of paper she was holding, trying to figure out which clue she had unintentionally cracked. Her brown orbs landed on the second clue.

"I go with the flow, never really staying in one place too long," Michiko quoted the page. Her nose twitched in annoyance as she reread the riddle over and over again. "The river, huh? That's so cheesy…" she mumbled.

She rested the paper down on the grass and then stepped into the crystal light blue water. The girl winced at the cold of the river, but she pushed herself forward toward the location of her objective. Once the flag was nestled in front of her feet beneath the water, she lightly tapped the shield with her sandal, knowing that the seal had to be relatively tough at least. Her foot bounced off the barrier as if she was kicking the wall, and she scratched the back of her head in thought.

Her hands began to perform the correct signs for her clan's signature jutsu. The final seal was the Bokusouchi special seal: her hands were clenched into fists, and they touched each other by the knuckles.

"Plant Style: Plant Growth Jutsu," she whispered.

At the sound of her words, small green vines began to emerge from the gravely bottom of the body of water, stretching out to strike the barricade. After moments of endless whips from the vines, a light expulsion of chakra emitted from the water, signifying that the seal was broken.

Michiko grinned happily as she pointed to the object beneath the water's surface. The vines reacted to her action, wrapping around the flag to draw it towards the plant mistress. The brown-haired brown-eyed girl snatched the cloth excitedly from her plants, and she let them wither away back into the water as she climbed out of the creek.

She took the time to shake off the excess water that was now soaking her pants and bottom of her shirt, and then she grabbed the page of riddles before heading back into the forest. After miraculously finding her first target by sheer coincidence and accident, she was eager to go on the hunt for more flags.

* * *

The purple-eyed boy ran across the roofs of the buildings quickly, heading toward his next destination. After browsing the list of clues, he had decided to go for the third clue. When he had read the bit about knowledge, he instantly knew where the riddle was referring. It was the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Once he landed on the property of the shinobi school, he cautiously walked about, violet eyes alert as they wandered about. The school was no longer in session; those who were still young enough to attend the academy had break until the upcoming year, which was in about a month or so. That left the entire place completely empty. It should have made finding a flag easy, but considering how big the property actually was, it not easy at all.

Haruki huffed in frustration as he picked up the pace, turning his head this way and that as he looked for the hunted item. He sped around the entire perimeter of the school, even going around the building multiple times.

Absolutely nothing.

The boy growled in anger as he continued to look around. He changed directions to head to the courtyard, where trainings and lunches were often held. He pushed away those memories to focus on the task at hand as he approached the picnic tables and small patch of open area. The large lone tree stood near the center of the fenced yard, the little swing moving only a bit with the near-undetectable wind.

Haruki narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he walked towards the tree, following his gut instinct as he looked at the trunk of the old oak. The Senshi slowly walked around it, examining the area around the tree. And it was there that he found what he was looking for.

Just behind the oak tree, nestled by the trunk and hidden in the shadows made by the leaves, was a green Konoha flag. The boy smiled in victory at his findings.

He took a step back and let his hands fall into the correct hand seals. Once his clan's signature sign completed the sequence, he held his right arm forward, his right palm facing the barrier, and his left arm clenched his right wrist.

"Psychic Style: Psychic Beam Jutsu!" he shouted to activate the technique.

Deep purple and black chakra-enhanced rings sprung forth from his right hand. A small melody of humming sounded with the jutsu, and the radiation from the psychic energy was easy to feel. The wave-like rings made contact with Deno's protective seal, creating an insistent pounding on the invisible block. Within a few seconds, a small yet echoing explosion went off; though this time, there was no smoke from Haruki's attack.

Without hesitation, the boy grabbed the flag and stuffed it in his pocket. He immediately leaped away in search of a third one. In the back of his mind, he knew it was probably indecent of him to get another flag, since that would mean at least one less for one of the girls. But he reasoned that he couldn't take the risk of not passing if he had the 'failure' for a flag. He would need a total of three flags to ensure his survival in this test.

* * *

Michiko hopped from building to building, inwardly chanting one word over and over again in her head. _"Healthy… Healthy… Healthy…"_ She was referring to the fifth clue, which was speaking of people taking their health for granted. All the other clues had stumped her at first, so for now, she hoped her gut was telling her that she was right in her assumption of the location of the fifth flag.

She was headed to the Konoha Hospital, and she prayed that she was right in her guess. If she was wrong, she was seriously contemplating just giving up at that point; solving puzzles was not her forte.

Once she crossed the gateway to the hospital, Michiko quickly went into tracking mode. Even though she knew her tracking senses were nothing to brag about, it was the only way to find what she was looking for. She slowly walked around the huge building, letting her brown eyes wander in search of the item.

After wasting precious time by walking extremely slowly, the Bokusouchi girl finally found the cloth lying on the mounded brown dirt of the hospital's garden. The little rectangular-shaped fabric was placed in the center of some purple violets, which let the green color of the flag stand out just a bit more.

Excited now, Michiko punched the air in enthusiasm, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Heck yeah! I solved a riddle on my own! Beat that!" she screamed cheerfully.

Radiating with delight now, the girl let her hands fly through the seals, ending with her family's special sign. "Plant Style: Leaf Blade," she said, her smile never leaving her face.

As she said the words, a thick and sharp edge appeared from the metal guard on her right arm, creating a plant-like razor. The blade was a long knife blade that was the length of her hand up to her elbow, even though it was connected to the iron plate on her arm. Clenching her fist, she hurled her arm toward the seal-protected flag, and the leaf-made edge rammed into the blockage.

A swift tearing sound emitted from the safeguard breaking, and Michiko's grin grew twice its original size. "Nice!" she sang as she snatched the rag from the ground. She tied it to her left arm, while her first one was tied to her right arm. The girl began to finger her chin in thought, mulling over her next destination. "Should I go look for Deno-sensei now? I have two flags now…" She glanced to the green cloths tied to each of her arms, and she frowned. "But if one of these is the 'failure'… then I don't pass…" The conflicted girl distraughtly slapped her forehead. "But if I get a third one, then someone else won't be getting the chance to pass…"

Her conscious was screaming at her to do the right thing, to just find her teacher now so her teammates still had a chance. But her logic was telling her otherwise; if she wanted to pass this training, she needed to make sure she was safe from elimination. Michiko groaned at the thought of betraying her new teammates, but nevertheless, she pulled out her page of riddles, read through them quickly, picked a decent clue, and then headed off to find a third flag.

* * *

Suki bit her lip in anxiety as she glanced up to the sun. By its position in the light blue sky, she could instantly tell that it was almost nine o'clock. She didn't know exactly how much time she had until that specific hour, but she knew that if she didn't find her second flag and her sensei soon, she would automatically fail from the time limit.

She was looking at the sixth clue, which spoke of earning a title. The most esteemed title in the village was Hokage, so her instinct led her in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

In a few moments, she reached the faded red building in which the leader of the village worked. The kanji for the Hokage was plated at the top of the building, and shinobi were filing in and out of the place, most likely for mission purposes. Suki frowned as she watched the chuunin and jounin walking about the building. It was so occupied, which almost made her second guess the flag being there.

"Do you really think Deno-sensei would put a flag where there are so many shinobi around?" the black-haired girl asked, looking to the creature perched on her shoulder.

_*I wouldn't put it passed him,*_ the bird replied somberly. _*But we should check the less-occupied areas first anyway.*_

Suki nodded her head in response and went to the top of the structure, deciding to start her search there. Once she was on the rooftop, she was met with a bland gray textile ground and a metal railing that ran along the perimeter of the roof. There was a staircase in the center that led back to the inside of the building, but other than that, there was nothing else that made the area special.

The young kunoichi walked around the circular area, looking for a sign of green. She frowned at the thought of it not being there when Kinmaru suddenly tugged on her hair. She yelped in pain, swatting his beak away. "Be careful. The bandage is still there," she mumbled, fingering the gauze that wrapped around her wounded head.

_*Sorry. But look to your left,*_ the bird said.

Suki did as she was ordered and turned around, and she smiled in relief when she saw the little emerald-colored cloth hidden by the stairs. She jogged over to it and knelt down so she was closer to the guarded item.

Not wanting to waste time, she immediately went to gathering chakra into her right hand and placing it on the protective seal. The same shocking sensation as before burned her fingers, and she bit down on her lower lip in pain, almost causing blood to leak out. But she did not relent as she focused her chakra into the barrier, and after almost thirty seconds of the searing blaze in her hand, the force field broke.

The young Guardian let a relieved smile spread across her face as she picked up the rag with her burnt hand. She winced at the red scorches on her fingers and palm from being burned twice in less than three hours, but she knew it would be worth it if she passed. As she stood up with the second flag in her hand, the sacred protector briefly wondered if she should attempt to go after a third.

However, she quickly disregarded that thought. If she went for three flags as a total, it would mean at least one of her teammates would automatically suffer. As high as the stakes were, she just couldn't see herself stabbing a friend in the back like that. She would feel too guilty about it.

Suki made up her mind almost instantly and was about to put the object away with the other when a voice startled her from behind. "Well, well, that was pretty impressive how you were able to withstand putting your hand on the barrier."

The silver-eyed girl turned around rapidly to see her purple-haired teammate leaning against the metal railing just behind her. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he pushed off the rail to stalk towards her dangerously. It was in this moment that Suki realized just how calm yet threatening her teammate could be. His violet eyes watched her as he walked toward her, almost encircling her position.

"Though from the looks of your hand, the chakra burned you as well," he continued, showing the results of his own encounter with the barricade. His palm was burned as well, though not as severely compared to hers.

_*Don't beat around the bush,*_ Kinmaru said, cawing loudly at the boy as he flapped his wings menacingly. _*You want the flag.*_

Haruki cocked his head to the side in wonder when he registered that it was the hawk that was talking to him. But he brushed it off as he looked between the mistress and creature. "Yes, I do."

Suki narrowed her eyes skeptically as she watched her teammate. Her silver eyes immediately landed on the jade cloths hanging from the boy's pockets. "You already have two. You don't need another. You're just trying to ruin everyone else's chances of passing."

If possible, the Senshi's expression grew even more deadly. "I can't risk having one of my own flags being the 'failure'. That's why I need a third one just to be safe."

The thud of footsteps suddenly alerted the group that another person had arrived, and the two humans and bird turned to see the brown-haired genin glaring at them. "Yeah, well, what makes you think that you're the only who needs three flags, huh Haruki?"

The Kurohoshi's eyes widened when she saw the two lime-colored fabrics tied to her fellow kunoichi's arms. "You have two as well?"

Michiko looked at her arms, almost as if she had forgotten that she had already retrieved two flags. She nodded as she met her teammates' eyes. "Yeah," she muttered guiltily. "I didn't want to have to do this, but I need a third flag."

Suki's mouth fell open as she stared between the other genin, appalled. "I can't believe you both are selfish enough to ruin someone else's chances of passing."

The purple-clad girl frowned and looked to the ground in shame. "I said I didn't want to…"

"Then don't," Suki replied immediately.

Haruki flashed dark looks toward each of the females. "This isn't a game. You two need to stop being so sensitive. This is the shinobi world, and you have to be determined in what you want." He glared at each of the girls before falling into a defensive battle crouch. "And I want a third flag, so whoever's not man enough to fight me for it should just give up now."

After a moment's hesitation, Michiko also moved into a fighting stance. "Fine then. Let it be known that I do not back down from a challenge."

Two pairs of eyes looked to Suki, waiting for her response. Their eager gazes expected her to fall into a combative position as well. However, she remained firm in standing completely still, casting unhappy stares toward her comrades.

"I will not fight either of you," Suki said resolutely.

"Then drop your flags," Haruki commanded, not even budging from his offensive stance.

The raven-haired girl glared at him. "No."

"You either quit or fight. That's how it works," the black-clad boy said firmly. "As a ninja, you must complete your mission completely, otherwise, you have failed. I do not intend on failing this survival training."

"I don't want to fail either," Michiko agreed, though her distraught tone showed just how conflicted she really felt. "None of us do. But if it comes to a fight… then so be it."

The young sacred protector let her head fall in disappointment. Her silver eyes examined the emerald cloth in her hands, and her fingers traced over the same black insignia on the flag that was also carved into her forehead protector. The small swirl design that represented her village made her eyebrows knit together in thought.

"We don't need to fight," she said simply. Her words were barely above a whisper, but everyone was still able to hear her. "Fighting is not all what being a shinobi means. It also means protecting what you believe in." The other twelve-year-olds stared at her in confusion, clear bewilderment written across their faces. "What I believe in is protecting those that I care about. You two are my teammates, and I will not betray you by fighting over a flag."

Haruki's confused stare turned back into a fiery determination. "Nice little speech. But pretty words lose their luster when there is no substance to them."

"Then look at it this way," Suki said as she removed her first flag to hold both up in front of her. "Instead of fighting, we work together."

Michiko's eyebrows furrowed in bafflement. "What are you talking about?"

"What if we combine flags?" the black-haired silver-eyed girl suggested. "If the three of us submit all of our flags together, then we all either fail or pass together."

Haruki instantly denied the idea. "Why on earth would I want to take such an idiotic risk such as that? I do not want to fail, and your plan is a clear path to failure."

The Bokusouchi girl, however, seemed to think otherwise, for she slowly slid out of her defensive stance. "I'm in."

"You two just don't want to fight because you're afraid of losing," the boy hissed. "But I am going to do whatever it takes to win."

Suki was about to counter his words, but the other kunoichi interrupted her. "You wanted a third flag, right?" Michiko asked, raising an expectant eyebrow. "Well, if we all go together, we each will technically have six flags. We won't fail. It's a loophole around the rules."

"You expect me to fall for this?" Haruki growled, glowering at his teammates.

"Yes, because you will not be getting another flag either way," Suki said. This time, she fell into a battle position, holding her fist out in front of her as she crouched down. "I believe in teamwork, and if fighting you is the only way to make you understand that concept, then so be it."

The Senshi narrowed his violet eyes suspiciously, and after a long moment of silence with nothing happening, he stood up straightly. "You truly believe this will work?" he asked the raven-haired girl.

The Guardian let loose a sigh of relief as she also stood up. "I don't preach for something I do not believe in," she responded simply.

After eyeing her skeptically, Haruki finally nodded in reluctant agreement, and Michiko grinned brightly at the idea. Out of the corner of her eye, Suki saw Kinmaru let a small smile appear on his beak as he shifted slightly from upon her shoulder.

"Now, I guess we're all headed to wherever Deno-sensei is located then," the brown-haired girl commented.

"I already know where he is," Haruki smirked. "Follow me."

* * *

Atop the grand Hokage Monument, a man sat cross-legged upon the rocky ground. His ninja headband was tied around his pale eyes, signifying his blindness. His hands rested on his knees, and he breathed in and out slowly, keeping his breath in tune with his surroundings. The massive village known as Konohagakure opened out before him. From his perch high above the town, the colorful buildings and the plethora of trees meshed together to create a beautiful sight. Even though he could not see this scenery at the moment, he could still hear the sounds and feel the life around him.

From beside him, a little clock buzzed loudly and annoyingly. The man sighed as he reached over to hit the OFF button. Then, not even a second later, a soft thud upon the rocky surface of the Hokage Mountain alerted him that a person had just appeared. Or rather, a group of people.

Deno smirked as he stood up from his sitting position, but he remained with his back towards his students. "You guys literally just made the time limit." The genin did not say anything as they stood side by side, looking at their sensei expectantly. After a moment of silence, he turned around to finally face the small group, and he slowly walked over to stand in front of them. "So, what's the verdict?"

With Michiko on the left, Suki with Kinmaru on her shoulder in the middle, and Haruki on the right, the graduates lifted a rope up at the same time. Six jade Konohagakure flags were attached to the brown thread of string.

The jounin's eyebrows initially shot up in surprise before knitting together in confusion. He reached a hand out and let his fingers trail along the length of the rope. His fingers brushed against the thick twine, momentarily coming in contact with the students' hands and the cloth of the flags.

Once his hand had reached the end of the rope, he took a step back and cocked his head to the side. "What is the meaning of this?"

The genin silently gulped at the almost-disappointed tone in his voice. The three students wanted to remain quiet, for fear of their teacher blowing up at them. However, Michiko nudged the girl in the middle to speak, seeing as how it was her plan in the first place.

"We…" Suki stammered nervously. She inhaled shakily, helping her to gain a bit more confidence. "We combined our flags. Now each of us has a count of six. We chose to pass together instead of working against one another."

Since his forehead protector was covering his eyes, his students did not see him narrow his white orbs suspiciously. But they did notice the long drawn-out sigh that escaped his lips. The young jounin rubbed his temples in what appeared to be exhaustion and disappointment. The preteens stiffened apprehensively.

"I can't believe this…" Deno mumbled, rubbing his face in what could only be displeasure. He took another step backwards, and before the genin could question if they had passed or failed, the elder ninja lifted his right hand before him. His index and middle fingers pointed upwards as he mumbled a single word. "Release."

Simultaneously, the same kanji appeared on all six Konoha flags, and in a matter of seconds, the cloths shriveled up in bursts of flames. The children shrieked as they threw the rope to the ground, watching the fire eat up the emerald rags. The orange and red flares licked at the green flags until nothing but black ashes were left.

The genin trio looked up to their sensei incredulously. "What the heck was that?" Michiko screamed in confused outrage. "Are you trying to kill us?"

Deno only stared at the group with an indifferent expression across his face. The girls were looking at him with clear perplexity while sudden realization slowly etched itself across Haruki's face. "There was no 'failure' flag… They were all sealed…" he whispered in comprehension. The females looked at him in astonishment before turning back to their teacher.

The jounin nodded in response to Haruki's words. "That's right."

Suki's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked between the burnt ashes and embers to the twenty-two-year-old. "What is the purpose in that?"

The man's impassive face was broken with a nervous smile as he scratched the back of his brown head sheepishly. An uneasy chuckle escaped his lips. "Uh… hehe… Well… Okay, I know this sounds bad… But I'm honestly used to people failing this test. By sealing all the flags, it means that each person has been unsuccessful in the training."

Michiko gawked in despair. "So… does that mean we fail too?"

"Whoa, whoa, you didn't let me finish. Just let me explain," Deno said, waving his hands in front of the genin to catch their attention. "Remember when I was giving the explanation of the flag I called the 'failure'? Haruki assumed that you guys would have to fight to gather three flags instead of just two, for fear of your count dropping by one. My response was as vague as I could make it because…"

"Because you wanted us to figure out the loophole on our own," Suki finished, understanding finally filling her.

Deno nodded with a smile. "You guys are the first to figure it out. I'm honestly quite shocked. My test is one of the hardest amongst the jounin instructors."

"What? You didn't think we could handle it?" Michiko asked, obviously insulted and offended. She placed a hand across her heart, as if his comment stung her deeply.

The man chuckled at her. "Well, I make my test extremely difficult for a reason. I do it so that I can find worthy genin who deserve to be shinobi." He turned away from his students to face the village that opened before them. He didn't need his eyes to know how beautiful the scene was. "This village has a legacy… the Will of Fire, it's called… There are those who claim to have it yet don't have the skill to prove it. There are those who don't realize they have it until it is too late. Then there are those who know just how important that spirit is… and it burns so brightly within those that they become legendary for their strength of mind alone."

A sigh escaped him, and his team looked at him worriedly. His shaky breath almost made it sound as if he was going to cry.

"I once saw a child… a genin… die, because he hadn't been properly trained in the ways of a shinobi. His Will of Fire had never been lit; he was too airheaded to see what was important to him," he continued. He turned his head to look over his shoulder towards his team, a sad smile on his face. "That's why I make my survival training difficult. It tests intellect, ability… and the idea of teamwork. If one cannot even comprehend the concept of working together, then everyone suffers."

A long silence fell upon the squad. No one moved, and no one said a word. The breeze from the high altitude was the only thing that showed that time was passing by.

After what seemed like an eternity but were really only a few minutes, the Hyuuga turned around to fully face his team. His cheerless smile was replaced with a bright grin. "You guys are the first to figure it all out. You solved each riddle, you demonstrated your skills by breaking the barriers, and you stepped up to the plate as a team. I can already tell that the Will of Fire burns greatly within all of you."

The tense atmosphere broke with those words, and smiles spread across each of the children's faces. Even Kinmaru beamed a bit with pride for his companion.

"And as your jounin instructor," Deno added, placing his hands on his hips, "I intend on making sure your spirits never damper nor wither away."

"So does that mean that we…?" Michiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup," the jounin smiled. "Congratulations, Team 9. You're officially genin now!"

The three genin erupted with cheers of excitement. Michiko jumped up and down, first hugging her sensei, then Suki, patted Kinmaru on the head, and even went as far as to hug the stoic Haruki. The boy grimaced a bit, but his smile eventually returned as he congratulated his teammates. The entire group of youngsters was busily praising one another while their instructor stood off to the side.

He watched them for a few more moments before he whistled shrilly. The team turned to look at him, and he nodded his head back down toward the village. "So, who's up for some breakfast?"

If possible, the team grew even more excited as they raced after their official sensei toward the town, where a nice hearty meal was waiting for them.

* * *

Hours later, the Hokage Tower was a swarm of jounin filing in and out of the building. Each instructor was submitting their reports to the leader of the town so he could sign off on them in agreement that the genin either failed or passed. This time of year was obviously one of the busiest, for the jounin were divided into either missions or genin squad instructors. It was immense chaos in determining which jounin was eligible for rookie shinobi teaching or not.

Kakashi sighed at the growing headache as he headed toward the office of the esteemed Hokage. The paperwork involved with genin work was unbearable. And this year, he got to see just how much more difficult it was to fill out the documents for passing students, rather than his normally failing team.

He inwardly groaned at what fate had shoved on him. With the way he always performed his survival training, he had begun to think that there was a one in a million chance that he would get a team that would pass his test. And oddly enough, the obviously dysfunctional Team 7 had solved his puzzle.

The only problem now was telling Suki that he was the new jounin instructor to her ex-best friend.

The next hour passed by in a blur to him. Dropping off his documents to the Third Hokage had gone by speedily, and the walk home had been upsettingly fast. Before he knew it, he was home, and his heart began to beat furiously. Kakashi mentally cursed at the anxiety that was filling at him.

He was a renowned shinobi of the Leaf, for Pete's sake. He had gone on dangerous missions as an ANBU captain, and he had performed equally dangerous missions as a chuunin and a jounin. He had fought in a war, had helped to fight the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and had worked through enough dangerous missions as a youngster that most shinobi didn't experience until they were his current age.

So why was a simple sharing of news so hard for him?

"Because I can't stand seeing her so sad…" he answered himself.

He sighed in defeat as he entered his home, and almost immediately, a fast whiz of black and white barreled down the hallway toward him, tackling him around the gut. The silver-haired ninja gasped slightly as the wind was nearly knocked out of him, but the affection his daughter was showing him made the pain instantly disappear.

"Daddy! Guess what!" Suki asked excitedly, jumping up and down with glee as she kept her arms wrapped around his stomach.

The masked face of the twenty-seven-year-old crinkled up into a smile as he took in his daughter's happiness. "I'm going to take your joy as a sign that you passed."

"Yup!" the raven-haired girl confirmed happily. "I'm a real genin now! This is so awesome!"

"I'm really happy for you, Suki," Kakashi said sincerely as he kissed her forehead through the dark cloth that covered his face. "So who's on your new team?"

"Well, there's Haruki Senshi… He's kind of nice. He's really smart, but he's kind of stuck up and doesn't really like working together. But he's kind when he needs to be. Then there's Michiko Bokusouchi. She's really eccentric and very fun. Haruki and she always seem to disagree though. And then my sensei is Deno Hyuuga. He's really smart and fun, but he's pretty serious too," Suki said, explaining each person with what she had learned about them. A light smile appeared on her face as she continued. "I think I'm really going to like my team."

The onyx-eyed male nodded. "Getting along with your team is important. I hope your squad is successful in unity."

"Yeah, me too," the girl giggled. "So, did you team pass this year?"

In that moment, Kakashi was thankful that he wore a mask to cover his face. He didn't want to see how his expression had changed from a happy and proud smile to a tense frown. "Yes, actually. They did."

His adopted daughter perked up in surprise and curiosity as she followed him into the kitchen, where Kinmaru was waiting on the table. "Really? Who's on your team? Which team number are you?"

"I'm the leader of Team 7," the Hatake replied. His one exposed eye watched his child's reaction as she tried to remember who was on that specific squad. Her eyes were narrowed in attempted remembrance, and her index finger was rubbing her chin in thought. "It consists of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and… Naruto…"

Suki froze almost instantly at the last name. Her hand dropped from her face, and her bright eyes widened as they stared off into space. A deep, unsettling frown sketched itself across her face. Very slowly, her left hand absentmindedly rubbed the bandage that covered her cursed tattoo. And then it reached up to gently touch the gauze that wrapped around the gash in her head; it was the same cut she had received just two nights ago, when her friend had learned of her forbidden secret.

Kakashi watched her foreign and blank expression sadly. He gently clasped her shoulder in steady support as he whispered, "It's going to be okay, Suki…"

After another moment of staring into nothing, the female turned to look at her father and plastered a somehow fake yet genuine smile on her face. "I'm happy that he passed. He really deserves it. I want him to succeed in accomplishing his dream of becoming Hokage."

While the jounin was able to sense the sincerity in her voice when she said that she wished the best for Naruto, he could still hear the despair in her tone. It was hard not to notice the dread that laced her fragile voice. "Suki…"

"I'm going to meditate," she interrupted quickly.

She rapidly spun around and ascended the stairs to her room. The former ANBU captain contemplated going after her to comfort her, but the hawk standing on the table disrupted him. _*Kakashi, you should understand something,*_ the bird thought out to him.

The masked man turned to look at the creature with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Kinmaru ruffled his feathers a bit in an attempt to make himself more comfortable. His golden eyes glanced over to the jounin as he spoke. _*Suki is hurting, not only because she lost her best friend… but because she could not protect him from the truth that ultimately destroyed his heart.*_ The hawk turned around to fully face the shinobi. _*You know of Suki's dream to protect her precious ones from pain. She suffered mental and physical abuse in Kagayaku. She doesn't want anyone to ever feel like she did. Because I am psychically her other half, I know that in her mind, she believes she failed to protect Naruto from the psychological trauma. Now those two are both suffering the aftereffects of Mizuki's idiotic action.*_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes in consideration as he looked at the hawk. "So what do you propose we do?"

_*Instead of filling her with comfort, we should allow her to submerge herself in her Guardian studies. At least for now,*_ Kinmaru replied. _*Let her immerse herself in her attempts to become stronger. The same goes for Naruto. Mental pain is an awful thing to experience, but it can also be used to fuel the desire to work harder and become stronger.*_

The silver-haired male looked down in thought, trying to sort through the animal guide's words. "I suppose so…" But he couldn't help the twisting feeling in his gut that told him otherwise. Some of his past experiences and knowledge were enough to make him worry. _"But mental pain can also drive even the best of people over the edge… Right Dad?"_


	14. Her Diamonds

**Hi hi! Silverwolf1213 here! Happy New Year, everyone! May you have many more to come, and I hope 2012 is a healthful and bountiful year for you all!**

**Since it's a new year, I thought I'd start us off with some thanks to all my lovely reviewers and then some other special thanks as well.**

**Thanks to Platano Manjar, trollypop, ParadiseRegained, EijiOokami, ILoveReadingAndWriting, RedRangerBelt, zerodragon, Tokashiro, EvilxLittlexNinja, ddcj1990, and Nyghtmaera for reviewing! **

**Now, special thanks to:**

**jennku for leaving lovely reviews for every chapter (or at least up until Chapter 11), they were a real confidence booster!**

**6Fortius9 for leaving so many nice reviews, they were wonderful. And another thanks for the tip on the summary, I changed it up a little, so I hope it's better than the last one.**

**Now, I'm going to try and answer some of the main questions, since I never actually get around to responding to reviewers, which I really apologize for.**

**1) The romance is NaruXSuki.**

**2) Naruto is born under the same sign as Suki, which is the Bird. The chapter named The Twelve Animals is a sketchy kind of layout for shinobi techniques. In terms of zodiac signs for birth, that's kind of the real version of what it is, but it's meant mostly for the Guardian in this story. Does that make sense?**

**3) The reason I haven't used any Japanese honorifics is because I started writing this with the intention of keeping it relatively Americanized. I know that doesn't really make it alright considering this is fanfiction based on a Japanese manga/anime, but please bear with it. **

**I think that's everything... **

**Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter! New genin squad for Suki = Not following the Naruto plotline the whole way through, which I'm personally happy about, so I hope you guys are excited as well. **

**Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas**

* * *

Deep in the Land of Silver, the sun slowly began to drift behind the horizon. Large pointed mountains settled on the outer border of the country obscured the remaining rays of sunlight, making night come sooner than expected. The land littered with rough mines and rocky plains was slowly stripped of the light of the sun, casting shadows among the already dark caves.

Nestled in the center of the country sat a small yet prosperous village. Kagayaku Village, as it was called, was surrounded by silver mines, allowing the town's main export to be easily collected and produced. The wealth of the village depended chiefly on the production of silver, and over the years, the mines had never failed the Kagayaku citizens. Even though it was a tiny town, it was largely respected for its resources, thereby bringing in many trading agreements with other villages and countries.

In the center of the wooden homes and shops was the rounded two-story structure of the town leader's office. Its cemented gray color stood out amongst the brown and beige material of the other buildings surrounding it.

On the flat, tiled roof of the construction stood the aged leader of the village. Tetsu Yama leaned against the metal railing on the edge of the roof, his tired green eyes looking out over the town that he had led for more than half his life. His much younger secretary walked up to him and handed him is daily dose of green tea. He nodded his old head with a huff, his way of showing gratitude. With an understanding nod of her own head, the twenty-year-old blonde office worker took her leave.

On the way out, the young woman walked past a man slightly older than her. He was ascending to the rooftop just as she was leaving, and he did not even bother to give a glance as he strode by her. The girl sighed and rolled her eyes before she left the two men to chat.

"You wished to see me, Lord Tetsu?" the younger male said as he approached to stand beside his leader by the railing.

The sixty-one-year-old bobbed his head once in answer. "Yes. It has been a while since we had a one-on-one discussion, Chishio," the old man murmured as he brushed his long gray beard with a frail hand.

The dark-haired man shrugged at this comment. "Not much to discuss, I suppose."

This was especially true. Ever since the Guardian child had left the village six years ago, nothing spectacular had really happened. Days had once revolved around exerting discipline on the Kurohoshi while also dealing with the complaints of the Kagayaku citizens in regards to her very presence in the village. There had always been beatings to exercise on Suki, and there had always been threats from the people to kill her. Now, there was only peace and quiet.

The villagers may have been happy with this new change, but it left Chishio out of a job. He had been the unofficial yet known executer of punishments when it came to Suki Kurohoshi's disciplinary issues. Since she had been adopted by Kakashi Hatake, he was left as only an ambassador of sorts to represent his lord to other countries.

"That was true," Tetsu said. "Though now we have something important to talk about."

Out of the corner of his blood red eyes, the paler man saw his superior keep his beady jade eyes on the village. The wrinkles had really seemed to multiply over recent years, or at the very least, every time Chishio saw him. His eyes even seemed to be squinted shut from all the crinkles in his sagging skin. Tetsu's body still had its muscled physique, but even that appeared to be slowing down and slumping a bit.

"What about?" the twenty-six-year-old inquired as he blew a stray piece of black hair out of his eyes.

"About my successor," the village leader responded.

Crimson orbs widened in shock at this reply. This type of talk was never to be expected from the lord. With the tough and powerful exterior that he always seemed to have, speaking of a replacement was something that no one even thought of. Tetsu's iron fist kept such a strong hold on the village that most often believed he would be around forever, even if it wasn't mortally possible.

As Chishio looked at the older male in surprise, he realized that his lord must have been thinking about this longer than he expected. He should have noticed the thoughtful expressions that the elderly figure had begun to gain, for they had used to always be so alien on his wrinkled face. He should have noticed the gradual disappearance of his shouts and orders, for his demanding tone was one of the signature aspects of his personality. He should have noticed all these changes, but he didn't.

"Lord Tetsu," Chishio uttered uncertainly, "you should not speak of such things. You have a long time before you need to worry about-"

"I do not, and we all know it," the elder man interrupted sharply.

The dark-haired man winced at the cold tone his superior used, and Tetsu took notice of this. With a deep sigh, he took a sip of the green tea his secretary had brought for him. It was already beginning to cool, though steam still rose from the liquid as it swirled around in the small cup.

Once the tea had done its work in soothing him a bit, Tetsu continued speaking, bringing back his calmer tone. "I can feel my heart slowing significantly. My body is not in as good shape as it once was. I can feel everything slowly shutting down."

Chishio gazed at his leader with sad red eyes before he stubbornly turned his head away, a small childish pout taking over his expression. "No one in this village wants to hear you speak of this, my Lord… especially me."

The old Yama glanced at the young man out of the corner of his squinted emerald eyes. He took another swig of his tea, nearly finishing it in this gulp. Smacking his lips as he relished in the hot liquid, he turned to fully face his appointed ambassador. He grasped the other man's shoulder and forcefully spun around so that they were facing each other.

"Now, listen here. I don't want you giving me any of that pity crap, and I don't want to hear you going sentimental on me," he huffed irritably, clenching the grasped shoulder harshly. "I'm still the Iron Mountain of this village, so I don't want you looking at me like some decrepit old fart. Not even when I'm buried do I want to see any of that compassionate crap, understood?"

Blood red eyes blinked in surprise as Chishio hurriedly bobbed his head, though in the back of his head, he felt a tiny bit of happiness at seeing a glimpse of frightening yet respected leader again.

"Good," Tetsu nodded. He released his hold on the other man's shoulder and returned his gaze back to the village, watching the sun set beyond the mountains. "Now, as for my successor… well, I have no children, which means I must appoint someone to be the next leader." He tilted his graying head slightly to cast his stare over toward the paler male. "And I'm appointing you."

Chishio had still been in the process of adjusting to Tetsu's sudden mood swing, so when the news suddenly registered in his head, he clumsily stumbled backwards in shock. "P-Pardon? M-My Lord, I-I can't-"

"Oh, shut it," the leader snapped. "You honestly didn't expect me to call you up here just to tell you it wasn't you, did you?"

"I… I didn't even think you would consider choosing me, my Lord…" the black-haired man stuttered.

"Who else would I choose?" Tetsu scoffed. "You're my ambassador; you already know my job inside and out."

"Well… I…" Chishio stammered before he finally gave up. With a sigh, he bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Tetsu. I'm honored that you chose me."

The leader watched the young man with a calculating stare before he nodded his consent. "I will be expecting great things from you, Chishio." He took another sip of his tea, finishing off the cup's contents. "Now, I must tell you something else. It concerns Suki Kurohoshi."

Crimson eyes instantly narrowed expectantly. "What is it?"

"It's about…"

Tetsu never finished his sentence, for his right hand instantly flew to grasp his chest while the other covered his mouth as a vicious cough overtook him. His tea cup fell to the ground, shattering into a multitude of porcelain pieces. Chishio's eyes widened in astonishment as he hurried to his superior's side to keep a firm hold of him.

"My Lord! Are you alright?" he asked in alarm.

More coughing was his reply. The old man heaved and wheezed, and then the pale man noticed the blood leaking through Tetsu's hand to splatter his beige robes and sprinkle his long gray beard.

"Lord Tetsu!" Chishio panicked.

The elderly man could not even utter a word as his body gave out on him, and he collapsed to the cemented roof. The red-eyed man kept a strong hold on his shoulders, but that did not stop the blood trickling down his wrinkled chin into his furry whiskers. The old man gasped and choked, making him sound even more like the old person he was, and it was the first time that Chishio had ever seen him look so weak.

With a final pant and release of air, the elderly man's green eyes closed, and his body fell limp. As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, so did the life of Tetsu Yama.

* * *

"You know, when I signed up to be a ninja, babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed kids was not what I had expected."

Suki looked over to the other girl of her team to see her cradling a wailing baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket while a little brown-haired blue-eyed boy was trying to climb up on the kunoichi. It was obviously taking all of Michiko's willpower to not smack the annoying toddler away while using the crying child as the club.

"Honestly, what kind of family consists of seven children?" the Bokusouchi hissed as she maneuvered away from the little boy who was now attempting to grab her clothes and any part of her body he could reach.

"More importantly, what kind of family has a bunch of strangers babysit their seven kids?" Haruki muttered as he placed two one-year-old twins in their cribs. He then proceeded to pry a very clingy two-year-old blond girl who was fascinated with his purple hair off his back and away from his head.

The team's sensei was lounging in the corner of the room on the plush green sofa. He was tossing one of the children's hacky-sacks into the air and catching it, finding great amusement in playing with the child's toy. He chuckled as he listened to the complaints of his students. "The funny part of this is that this family supposedly hires shinobi to babysit the kids almost everyday."

"Sounds like the parents are more concerned with having fun than actually caring for the kids then," the violet-haired boy uttered in annoyance as he kept the clingy girl from getting to him by holding her head at arm's length.

_*You kids should be thrilled,*_ Kinmaru said as he cleaned his feathers with his beak. He was perched on the armrest of the sofa on which Deno was laying. _*This means more money for you.*_

"No amount of money is worth this blow to my pride – Yow!" Michiko yelped as the excited toddler pulled on her long brown hair when she wasn't looking.

Suki went to placing the two children she was watching, which were a five-year-old blond boy and a four-year-old brown-haired girl, down on the armchair to nap together. She had luckily picked the easiest set of siblings.

"You have to admit though," she smiled as she watched the two children doze off into dreamland. "These kids are better charges than the dogs we walked yesterday. And that's coming from someone who likes animals."

"I'd take overly excited canines over toddlers any day," the Senshi boy grimaced as he threw a soggy handkerchief into the garbage. He prayed it was wet with spit or tears and not something that came out of the other end of the human body. "At least chasing the dogs around the village proved to be somewhat of a training session."

"Both the dogs and these kids involved picking up poop," the brown-haired kunoichi added. "This seems like a lateral move to me."

As if on cue, one of the twins that Haruki had been watching began to sob even louder than before, which in turn, caused the other twin to wail just as fiercely. The ninja groaned when a foul scent reached his nose.

"Speaking of poop," Deno smirked as he threw the hacky-sack higher into the air.

Suki eyed her sensei with curious silver orbs. She tilted her head to the side as she asked, "So how come you never help us with these missions, Deno-sensei?"

"If I helped you with small assignments such as this, how can I expect you to handle yourselves on tougher missions?" the jounin replied easily, tossing the toy up until it hit the ceiling.

The raven-haired girl's lip twitched at this, so she turned her gaze to her lounging hawk companion. "And what about you, Kinmaru? How come you're just sitting there cleaning yourself?"

The bird's brown head lifted slightly from behind his wing to gaze up at his mistress. _*Because I'm a bird,*_ he replied as if the answer was obvious. Suki's raised an eyebrow, clearly unhappy with that reply. With a sigh, Kinmaru tiredly stretched his wings out. _*And also, I think I paid my dues when one of those villainous children tried to throw up on me.*_

The sacred protector merely rolled her eyes while Michiko muttered something along the lines of, "Lucky bird…"

A sudden knock on the door made all three genin swerve their heads toward the entrance in excitement. They all appeared ready to leap to the entryway to answer when their teacher cut them off. "Ah, ah, go back to changing diapers, I'll get the door," Deno said as he heaved himself off the couch.

He smirked when the trio simultaneously moaned as they went back to taking care of the kids. The jounin strolled to the door, half expecting to see a nanny or some other poor genin team suckered into babysitting the toddlers.

Needless to say, the Hyuuga was surprised to feel a familiar chakra on the other side of the threshold when he opened the door. "Iruka? What are you doing here?"

The tan chuunin glanced inside to see his former students staring at him in confusion as they went about cleaning the room and helping the children. "I'm here to get Suki. She's wanted in the Hokage's office."

"Me?" the Kurohoshi repeated in surprise.

Deno's eyebrows furrowed together. "Right now? Is it an emergency?"

Iruka shook his head. "It's not a dire emergency, but Lord Hokage wants to see her immediately."

The jounin pouted his lip in contemplation before he nodded. He turned towards the general direction in which his student was and motioned for her to leave. "Go on. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone."

"We?" Michiko shrieked. "I think you mean Mr. Grumpy and me! You're just going to go back to throwing your hacky-sack around!"

Iruka blinked in surprise at the kunoichi's words, but he shook his head in an attempt to ignore whatever it was they were talking about. Sobs and wails erupted from all the children within a matter of seconds in response to the Bokusouchi's rant, creating a chorus of cries.

Suki bid her teammates farewell, and despite the bad mood they were in now, they waved goodbye to her as she left with her hawk in tow. As she exited the house, she asked her former teacher what the Hokage wanted with her.

"I'm not the one to tell you, Suki…" was all that Iruka responded with.

Suki's eyebrows knitted together at this, but before she could question it any further, he went a different way, telling her that he had to get someone else who also needed to speak to the Hokage. That left only the Guardian and her animal guide to proceed to the pale red structure known as the Hokage's Tower.

As Suki walked through the village with Kinmaru seated upon her shoulder, the sound of intense laughter reached her ears. The keepers of the voices sounded familiar, and she lifted her head from staring at the ground to see Teams 8 and 10 leaning against a wooden fence that lined the pathway.

The Kurohoshi blinked in surprise as she walked toward them. The group of genin spotted her as she approached, and most of them sent her welcoming smiles.

"Hiya, Suki!" Chouji greeted happily through munches of chips.

The raven-haired girl smiled a greeting toward them all. "Hi, everyone. What are you all doing?"

"We are just waiting for our teachers because they are submitting the mission reports," Shino supplied from the cover of his gray trench coat. The girl nodded in understanding.

"So, where's the rest of Team 9?" Shikamaru asked lazily as he shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the fence behind him.

"Finishing our mission," Suki said, tilting her head in the direction where the house of babies sat. "But I had to leave early because I have a meeting with the Hokage."

"What? You in trouble?" Kiba asked. A grin had been lining his features as he said, but when he realized who he was talking to, he immediately frowned and looked away, an immense guilt taking over.

Suki sent him a reassuring smile. "I sure hope not," she replied in a genuine tone, though it pained her that Kiba and Hinata refused to look at her.

"So, I'm thinking of having a party for all the graduates," Ino said as she looked to the Kurohoshi. "You know, as a celebration for passing. Tell your team about it, I'm thinking it'll be this weekend."

"A party for graduating?" Suki asked in confusion. "Graduation was two months ago though…"

"So?" the Yamanaka scoffed. "It's the perfect idea for getting Sasuke over to my house. Better late than never."

The raven-haired kunoichi frowned at this. "So that means Team 7 is coming?"

"They better come!" Ino said, appalled. "Or, at least Sasuke should come. Sakura and Naruto can stay home."

"You're the only one who has any issues with Sakura," Shikamaru countered as he slid down the fence into a sitting position. "And Naruto will probably crash the party, whether he's invited or not."

"Well, I couldn't care less about them, so long as I get Sasuke to come," the eager blond said, her blue eyes suddenly falling into a dream-like trance.

"In that case, thanks for the invitation," Suki said with a smile, trying to hide the pain in her voice as she heard her ex-best friend's name. "I'll… tell Michiko and Haruki about it…"

"Cool! Hope you can come!" Ino said with a wave as the other girl began to walk away.

Suki bid them all goodbye as she left the group. Unfortunately, her depressed expression came much too quickly, for Hinata caught her eye, giving her a concerned glance. The Guardian didn't want to burden the Hyuuga with her troubles, so she quickly looked away and proceeded toward her original destination. She could feel Kinmaru sending her a calculating golden gaze from upon her shoulder, but she ignored him in that moment.

The Hokage's building loomed over them as they entered. Busy ninja were bustling about, submitting and gathering mission forms and assignments. Some people were seated in a waiting area, just trying to make an appointment to meet with the Hokage's secretary. The genin felt slightly bad as she walked right on down the empty hallway toward the village leader's office.

When the large door stood high in front of her, she gently knocked her knuckles against the dense wood. A quiet approval to enter sounded from the other side, and Suki obeyed, pushing the door open and walking inside the small circular office. Her silver orbs widened in surprise when she saw who was standing across from the Hokage.

"Daddy? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your team on a mission?"

The silver-haired ninja turned his head to see his daughter standing behind him, and his uncovered eye showed his bewilderment rather clearly. Suki realized that he was now just as confused as she was.

"I thought I was having a private meeting with Lord Hokage," Kakashi replied, his tone uncertain as he looked back to robed old man. "Apparently not. Iruka agreed to watch my genin while I came here."

Sarutobi nodded in response to the jounin's observation. "Yes. I called you both in here due to an important matter."

Suki came to stand beside her father. Since she already knew that he was confused about what this meeting was about, she looked to her animal guide for any kind of explanation. His golden eyes were set intently on the aged man's face, obviously trying to read his mind and decipher what was going to be discussed.

Hiruzen held up a small black scroll to show to the two family members. Suki tilted her head in confusion as she looked at it, and her eyebrows furrowed together in puzzlement when she felt Kinmaru clench her shoulders tightly with his talons and saw her dad stiffen only a few feet from her.

"Whose?" was all Kakashi said. The twelve-year-old looked at him expectantly, silently asking him to clarify what was going on.

"Tetsu Yama's," the Third replied.

Suki's head instantly whipped around to look back to her village leader. The dreaded name of the man who once, and even still, struck fear into her heart. Images of his cold ironed face glaring at her as he watched her receive her punishment began filtering through her memory.

"W-What about him?" the young girl asked, trying and failing to keep the fear from her voice.

Sarutobi glanced at her through the smoke of his pipe that rose directly in front of his line of sight. He held up the black scroll again, leaning his elbows on his large yet cluttered desk. "Suki, do you know what a black scroll means?"

The girl initially thought of taking a wild guess, but she chose not to risk sounding like a naïve child. So instead, she merely shook her head in a negative manner.

_*It's the universal symbol to deliver the message of someone's death,*_ Kinmaru answered.

The Third Hokage and Kakashi, obviously having heard the bird's supply of information, nodded in confirmation. Suki pursed her lips in thought as she looked to the ground in an attempt to piece together what was happening.

Then her eyes widened as she looked back to the elderly leader. "Lord Tetsu is dead?"

Hiruzen nodded, the flaps of his headdress swaying as he did so. "We just received notice a couple hours ago that he died yesterday," he said as he opened the parchment to reveal the message hidden within. "The majority of this basically tells of how Tetsu Yama passed away from natural causes, and Chishio Kawa is his successor."

Suki involuntarily gulped and nearly choked at the mention of the second name. It took her a few moments to regain her proper breathing, and when she finally did so, she asked, "So they just wanted to inform me that Tetsu's dead and Chishio is the new leader of Kagayaku?"

"Not precisely," Sarutobi replied. "At the end of this notice is a personal message from Lord Chishio…"

The Hokage's slight pause was enough to bring up Suki's hyperventilating again. She couldn't find the words to plea for Sarutobi to continue. Her breathing only worsened as she tried to speak.

Luckily, Hiruzen noticed how nervous his delay had made the genin, so he picked up the page and began to explain the words that were written on it. "Lord Chishio Kawa wishes for you, Suki, to pay your respects to Tetsu Yama before he is buried."

The Kurohoshi girl's eyes widened as she clumsily stumbled backwards. Her silver orbs stared with fright at the kind old man, as if he was the source all the terror that was suddenly coursing through her. Chills ran up and down her spin, and her hands clasped her bare arms in an attempt to keep her body warm. It did little to quench her fear.

"I… I can't go back there…" she murmured quietly. "I can't…"

Kakashi was by her side in a millisecond, patting her back in comfort as he leaned down so that he was closer to her. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to the town chief as he asked, "Is this optional?"

The Hokage let loose a sad sigh. "Not particularly, no. There is even a mention of payment and personal escorts for Suki should she initially refuse. They're making it sound mandatory that she go to Kagayaku."

"Why do they want me to go so badly?" the Guardian child asked as a shiver shook her for a moment.

"I assume it is a sign of respect, as he was the lord of Kagayaku," Hiruzen replied as he glanced back down to the page. "Though there is also a note about how Lord Chishio wishes to talk to you in person."

"I don't want to see him," Suki instantly replied as memories of how harshly the man with the blood eyes used to beat her came rushing back to her.

The elderly man sighed deeply, smoke from his pipe rising even more quickly with the action. "Suki, speaking from our past experience with this man, I firmly believe Lord Chishio will come to the Leaf in an attempt to persuade you to come with him to Kagayaku for Tetsu's burial. Should such an event transpire, intense actions will be taken. But I do not want it to come to that."

The raven-haired preteen couldn't help it; her stomach churned mercilessly as she associated the title of 'Lord' with her previous punishment executor's name. The honorable label gave him more power, and that power could be used to harm her again.

"You're saying I have to go?" Suki asked incredulously. The very notion of how the kind elderly Hokage was forcing her to go to the place she loathed the most nearly made her lose her lunch.

"I'm saying it might be a good idea to put everything at ease," Sarutobi asked as he leaned back in the swivel chair. "This is an ideal chance to put any of your fears behind you and move on from the past. Closure, if you will."

_*That does sound beneficial for you, Suki,*_ Kinmaru replied, casting his calm yet concerned stare over to his partner.

The young female bit her lip in thought. The more she contemplated it, the more nervous she felt about the entire thing. However, her hawk was probably right in saying it would benefit her to have closure, as the Hokage put it. The idea did sound appealing; perhaps it would put a rest to the dark thoughts, awful memories, and recurring nightmares she had of Kagayaku Village.

After several long minutes of silence, she finally nodded her assent.

A reassured smile spread across the Third's wrinkled face. His eyes showed his genuine niceness and pride in the young genin. "Good."

"Lord Hokage," Kakashi began as he stood up so that he was at his full height. His hand remained protectively grasped to his daughter's shoulder. "Did you ask me to come to this meeting so that I could be Suki's escort to the Silver Country?"

The silver-eyed female looked at her father, relief evident on her face. If her dad was coming with her to the Land of Silver, then surely things would be alright. She wouldn't need to worry if Kakashi was there to protect her, just as he did six years ago.

Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise as Kakashi, Suki, and Kinmaru watched the Hokage shake his head. "I'm afraid not. I brought you, Kakashi, here for a different reason."

"I'm sorry?" the Hatake muttered in shock as he looked at his superior disbelievingly and unsurely.

"It is initially up to Suki for her to go," Hiruzen said as he leaned his arms on the desk before him. "But ultimately, in a situation such as this, I want the parent's permission before I let her go."

"You want me to go alone?" the raven-haired girl asked incredulously, horror appearing in her eyes almost immediately.

"Then the answer is no," the jounin replied instantly. "I'm not letting her go there alone."

The Sarutobi elder raised his right hand to halt their objections, and the other shinobi quickly stopped their protests at the silent command. The Third slowly fixed the family before him with a calm and understanding gaze as he gradually laid his arm back down to rest upon his other.

"Please allow me to finish," the old man said. "I would never consider sending Suki alone, even if she had Kinmaru to protect her. But I cannot send you, Kakashi, to go with her. You have Team 7 to look after. I wouldn't want to replace you so suddenly after they have become genin, even if it is only for a short amount of time. They need their regular jounin sensei to guide them, for consistency and training purposes."

"So will you be sending me in then?"

The sudden voice startled Suki to the point that she nearly jumped. Her silvery gaze had been so transfixed on the Hokage that she didn't even notice someone was leaning on the window sill just to the side of the village leader. Arms dangling over the edge and a warm smile on his fair-skinned face, the second jounin turned in the general direction of Sarutobi.

"Deno, you could have used the door," Hiruzen scolded slightly, though his face showed a kind grin of his own.

"But that's no fun at all," the blind man smirked as he effortlessly leaped into the room. He leaned his back again window ledge, crossing his arms over his chest in a calm manner. "Sorry to interrupt. I was going to drop off my team's mission report, but I couldn't help overhearing the situation."

The Sarutobi male shook his head. "No need to apologize, your arrival is actually quite convenient."

"So does that mean my assumption was right?" the brown-haired male asked as he cocked his head to the side in expectance, uncrossing his arms so that his hands could rest on the edge of the window.

"Yes, in fact," the Third nodded. "It isn't an official mission, seeing as how Lord Chishio did not hire a squad of shinobi to come to Kagayaku. However, given the circumstances, sending Suki with no other protection other than her animal partner is out of the question. So I will send the other members of Team 9 to accompany her, and I will document it as a mission issued by Konohagakure directly."

"Lord Hokage, if I may interject," Kakashi interrupted, his tone of voice displaying only a fraction of the uneasiness he obviously felt, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with…"

"With Team 9 going instead of you?" Deno finished. He sounded neither offended nor insulted. On the contrary, he seemed rather understanding. "It's all right, Kakashi. Suki will be fine in my care. And I know I speak for Haruki and Michiko as well when I say we won't let anything happen to her."

A sense of relief immediately ran through the marked child. After two months of working with her team, she had already begun to trust her comrades, even if petty missions were all they had to show for their teamwork. Michiko had quickly become a fun and exciting girl friend, and Haruki, despite his moodiness, played by the books, which helped to balance out the team. In addition, the Hyuuga had quickly earned her trust when she learned that he and her father had been teammates in the ANBU Black Ops.

But if she was honest with herself, Naruto would have been her first choice, besides her father, to accompany her to her old home. She had always felt safe with him, and she knew he was always there to protect her. The thought of how she hadn't spoken to him since graduation nearly made her choke up into tears.

Luckily, the adults were carrying on the conversation. She didn't know if they were unaware of her internal emotions or just chose to ignore her, but either way, Suki was glad they didn't say anything directed towards her.

"Kakashi, I doubt anyone from the Silver Country would attempt to hurt her now that she no longer lives there. And having her team with her will be enough to warn others not to even touch her," the Hokage said as he stared into the onyx eye of the ex-ANBU captain. "But this escort mission cannot proceed until I receive your permission for Suki to go without you. I've already told you of possible consequences if we keep her from Kagayaku."

_*It must be done, Kakashi,*_ the gold and brown hawk said as he glanced to the jounin with a signature bird tilt of his head.

Suki looked at her partner, who had been silent for nearly the entire conversation. Anything he said thus far had been to push her to go. He must really want her to confront her past.

The determination in the uncovered part of Kakashi's face made him seem fully prepared to continue debating. However, after a few moments of silence and eager stares from the others in the room, he let loose a defeated sigh. "Alright… I agree…"

The wizened old man nodded, a bit of relief at the assent appearing on his wrinkled facial features. "Very well. Deno, Team 9 departs tomorrow. I'll have further instructions for you in the morning."

"Understood," the blind jounin replied.

Once it was implied that the Hatake was no longer needed in this little meeting, he briskly turned around and exited, giving his adopted daughter a comforting pat on the shoulder before he was gone. Suki watched him disappear, even when the carved wooden door blocked any remaining sight of him.

"C'mon, Suki," the Hyuuga said, interrupting her thoughts as she reflected on how distraught her dad had seemed as he left. She was startled when she saw her sensei standing beside her, ready to lead her out of the room. "We still have some strawberries to pick for one of our clients."

* * *

Kakashi had been staring at the memorial stone for hours at this point. He had already vented what he wanted to his deceased friend the moment he arrived after dismissing his genin squad for the day, but he couldn't bring himself to leave afterwards. He found comfort in standing there, looking at the carved name, as if it provided all the solace he desperately needed in that moment.

When he lifted his head up again, a searing aching immediately shot through his neck as the muscles strained to start working again. The sun was now very low on the horizon. Dark shadows were creeping from the forest, and the grass was no longer its bright green color. The vibrant colors of this part of the village were gradually sliding away as the black blanket of night peeked from the fading blue of the sky. Yet, even with the sun disappearing behind the trees, he couldn't find the strength to move.

"Thought I'd find you here," a voice said quietly from behind the silver-haired jounin.

Kakashi made no move to turn around to greet whoever had come to see him; he already knew who it was just from hearing the voice. "Have I always been so easily predictable?" he asked in reply.

"Not really, no," Deno responded as he came to stand beside his old squad captain, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket. "But your heart has always been in the same place."

The two fell into a soft silence as they turned back to the block of stone engraved with the names of those who had died for their village. Kakashi's face remained impassive as his lone onyx eye stared at the single name. He glanced to the side to see his comrade's head moving from left to right, almost as if he was skimming through a book. Deno, even though he could not actually read the words, seemed to be going through each individual's name, thanking each and every person who had the a spot on the stone.

The masked shinobi reached a gloved hand up to scratch the back of his gray head as he murmured, "I should probably apologize for my behavior in the Hokage's office today…"

The blind man turned to him in surprise, his eyebrows arched in astonishment above the headband that covered his eyes. "You're apologizing to me for being protective of your daughter?" An amused grin etched itself across his face as he chuckled. "Kakashi, you don't need to say sorry for that."

The elder jounin perked an eyebrow at this. "So you're not offended?"

Deno tilted his head from side to side in a contemplating manner. "Well, maybe I'm insulted that you don't have enough faith in me. It is a rather big blow to my ego…" Despite his incapability to see, he could feel the frown on his friend's face, making his grin grow. "I'm kidding, Kakashi."

The attempt at humor was enough to break a bit of Kakashi's hardened shell, and he let a dry laugh escape him. Only his old ANBU teammate and a select few could force a genuine laugh out of him when he was this emotionally distraught.

"But seriously," Deno said as he turned his head back towards the memorial, "you need to stop always being so protective of her."

The silver-haired man looked to his friend in confusion, appalled at this. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get me wrong," the brown-haired male said defensively, for fear of getting on his senior's bad side, "as a father, I understand that you're caring of her. But she's not just your daughter anymore. She's a kunoichi, and she has remarkable potential to be better. And I don't mean just because she's the Guardian."

"So you're saying that I should just let her go without me feeling any care?" Kakashi asked, a bit of accusation in his tone.

"Not at all," the blue-clad ninja replied easily, unaffected by his comrade's defensiveness. "I'm saying that you need to trust someone other than yourself to be there for her. Because as much as it pains me to say it…" His pause did little to soothe any of Kakashi's anxiety, Deno noticed. "You're not going to be there all the time."

"I can try," the masked jounin shot back quickly, frustration at this conversation suddenly growing.

"I have no doubt you will," Deno responded with a sigh. "But you must understand, Kakashi… What I say is the sad truth."

Beneath his dark mask, the older ninja bit his lower lip in defeat as his comrade's words slowly sunk it. Unfortunately, everything that was said was true. With a depressed and choked sigh, he squatted so that he was kneeling before the names carved into the memorial stone. His gloved hand reached out to trace the name of his close friend.

"I couldn't protect Obito when he was crushed by that boulder… I couldn't protect Rin when she died from chakra depletion trying to save me… I couldn't protect Minato-sensei from the Kyuubi…" His voice had grown quieter and softer each time he listed off a person he had lost. "Each of these people, I have cared for… And I didn't think I could ever feel that much care for anyone once they were all gone… And then Suki came along, and in two days time, she found my dead heart and brought it back… I can't lose her too…"

"I know…" Deno said as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I just want you to understand… If you can't have faith in me to protect her on a simple escort mission such as this… then how do you expect her to go off on her own when her time comes to protect the world?"

Kakashi could not come up with an answer to this question, so he merely shrugged in reply. He had tried avoiding that particular thought for very long time.

"Lighten up, Kakashi," the Hyuuga said, his tone a bit more lighthearted as he tried to brighten the atmosphere. "You're just going through that overprotective fatherly phase. I know it must hurt and probably annoy the crap out of you for now, but it'll pass when you see just how great she'll be as a kunoichi."

The crouching jounin could not help but scoff at Deno's words as he rose to stand straight up again. He absentmindedly stretched his legs, reworking the muscles to their normal flexibility. "And how do you know so much about being an overprotective father, Deno?"

A bright smile spread across the brown-haired blind male's face. "Instinct, I guess. Though I don't think I'd want any kids anyway. You should have seen the little monsters we were dealing with today. It was horrifying, to say the least. Makes me never want to raise children."

"Really?" Kakashi asked, quirking an eyebrow at that last statement. "I thought it was just the fact that you couldn't find a woman that you wouldn't have children."

Deno guffawed at this as he smacked his friend jovially on the back. "That's big talk coming from the second biggest pervert to come from the Leaf Village, old man."

"Tsk, whatever," the older man mumbled as he walked away. His ex-teammate laughed at him as he followed to fall in step with him. As the pair proceeded away from the grounds to head back into the village, the silver-haired ninja glanced at the other shinobi beside him. "You're not telling me that she's a good ninja just because I'm her father, are you?"

The Hyuuga looked genuinely aghast at the accusation. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, there was that one time…"

"Honestly, Kakashi," Deno briskly cut off, a true smile on his fair-skinned face, "if you stopped looking at her like the child you saved in the forest, you might actually be able to see her progress."

The masked man pursed his lips beneath the dark cloth covering his face. He nodded his head after a few seconds, his silvery spiky hair bobbing as he did so. "Thanks, Deno."

* * *

Night had finally settled behind the horizon in the Land of Silver. Stars littered the sky, appearing as little white freckles on the face of the dark blanket of the night. The lunar cycle produced a new moon, making the normally bright white sphere shrouded with darkness. People scurried into their homes for supper, and lights from the small houses provided the only illumination within the tiny village.

Only one person did not hurry off to her little house right away. Instead, she strolled through the dirt paths, completely oblivious to the ominous aura that the nighttime brought. Her black heels dug into the earth with each skip-like step she took, her bouncy platinum blonde hair bobbing almost excitedly as she strode off toward her destination.

It wasn't until she was outside the village and out of range of any possible eavesdroppers that she finally stopped. Crossing her arms over her elegant office attire, she leaned on one leg in anticipation, waiting for the expected arrivals.

Only five seconds had passed when she felt the presence of chakra just behind her. The twenty-year-old turned around sharply, eyeing the shadowy figures with disapproving deep blue eyes. "I hope you don't go around flaunting your chakra signatures all over the place. You will be noticed if you are not careful."

The new arrivals, a pair of cloaked figures, straightened from their landing crouches. They simultaneously removed their hoods to reveal near identical male faces. Even in the dark, the woman could see the high cheek-boned facial structures that were similar to her own face. The men also had the same dark cerulean eyes that she had. But that was where the similarities stopped.

The man on her left had brilliant crimson red hair that was thick enough that it curtained his face yet short enough that it did not reach passed his neck. Beneath his midnight black cloak, he wore gray slacks and a black long-sleeved black shirt. Black shinobi sandals covered his feet. A ninja forehead protector was tied to his head, the insignia for the Village Hidden in the Stone carved into the metal. A sharp line cut straight through it.

The second man had dirty blonde hair, nearly brown, that was tied into a short ponytail. Scruffy stubble lined the bottom half of his face, suggesting the need for a shave. Under the dark cloak, his wardrobe consisted of a black trench coat over a gray shirt and black pants. He also had black ninja shoes, and a shinobi headband was fastened around his neck. The metal looked the same as the man beside him: the Stone Village signature crossed out with a single cut.

"Oh, Sister, you need not worry about us," the ponytailed man smirked playfully.

"Indeed, there no shinobi within miles of this village," the red-haired male added. "The only man who posed a threat to us has just died."

"By my doing," the girl hissed through ruby lips. She pointed a sharp nail towards the man who had just spoken, her dark stare fixed upon him. "Do not forget, Arashi, that it is I who fed that poison Tetsu for months on end. And don't even get me started on having to deal with his nonsense while I was his secretary."

"Calm down, Little Sister," the man named Arashi said, rolling his eyes at her threatening tone. "Raikou and I will fulfill our deeds when the time comes."

The woman pouted at this. "Don't call me little. I'm the oldest of us three."

The darker blonde of the group cocked his head to the side as he grinned. "By only a few minutes, Kaminari. Until you can reach our shoulders, you're still Little Sister."

Kaminari glared at her brothers. Sure, they had intense muscles to deal with, and there was approximately a foot of difference between them, but she was the brains of the Ikazuchi triplets. That much she could pat herself on the back for.

"Has the Hokage responded to that letter yet?" Arashi asked, interrupting her thoughts.

The woman nodded in response. "Yes. That brat, Chishio, just received it before I left. The answer was positive. Suki Kurohoshi is coming to Kagayaku," she finished with a sinister smile lining her beautiful face.

"Well, well," Raikou sang as he placed his hands on his hips, "it seems your stretch of an idea really is panning out after all."

"Do not downgrade me," Kaminari scowled, crossing her slender arms over her chest. "Killing Tetsu Yama was a foolproof plan in getting the Guardian to come here. He's wanted to talk to her ever since she was adopted, but apparently, he's only man enough to do so in death through his successor."

"So is it safe to assume that even you don't know what it is that Tetsu wanted to say to the Guardian?" the red-haired Arashi asked with a quirked eyebrow. A triumphant smirk graced his pale features when his sister only glowered at him. "Ah, so even our intelligent Little Sister does not know something."

"Whatever it is, it's not important," the woman spat, angered at being taunted by her younger brother.

"So long as I get the Kurohoshi girl's blood on my hands, I couldn't care less what that old man had to say," Raikou remarked, a bloodthirsty smile spreading eagerly across his rugged face.

"You will not kill her until I have told you to," Kaminari quickly reminded, sending the enthusiastic male a reprimanding stare. The ponytailed man frowned almost immediately at this, and even the serious Arashi seemed a bit disappointed. "Phase one has already been completed; getting Tetsu out of the way was a major step in taking over the village. Chishio is not a big obstacle, for he can easily be dealt with. But we need the Guardian to follow through with what I have planned." Her siblings looked to her excitedly as they hung on her every word, like puppies staring at a treat dangling in front of their hungry faces. "And then… Then we take what we need from her."


End file.
